"Specifically, your product contained content which infringes upon the intellectual property rights of National Security Agency. We have been contacted by legal representatives from the National Security Agency, and at their request, have removed the product from the Zazzle Marketplace."
--E-mail from the custom goods marketplace Zazzle to entrepreneur Dan McCall, who put up a handful of the above T-shirt; cited in Peter Van Buren, "NSA Cites 1959 Law, Claims Use of Their Seal and Name is Illegal," We Meant Well
VIDEOS
--The Social Media and Loneliness. Via SO on Facebook
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Savir's corner: The limits of power and the power of diplomacy - Uri Savir, Jerusalem Post: "Diplomacy, above all, is the creative attempt to achieve goals by peaceful means. It therefore complies with the good of society, and not with the triumph of the nation. In the modern diplomacy era, societies must not only be listened
to by the leaders, but also, should partake in the process which is defined as public diplomacy. Obama’s decision to seek a diplomatic solution to the Syrian chemical arms attack and arsenal stemmed also from his being attentive to American public opinion. ... In the Syrian crisis, Obama has both learned and and has taught a lesson in adapting to today’s world." Image from
Voice of America on Mute: VOA supervisory board seeks to slash editorial broadcasts in FY2014 budget - Alana Goodman, freebeacon.com: "Voice of America (VOA) is on track to eliminate all of its Persian-language editorial broadcasts to Iran if its supervisory board’s 2014 budget recommendation is approved by Congress, according to an internal memo obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The development is part of a larger effort by management to quietly phase out the airing of official U.S. government policy positions on the taxpayer-funded international broadcast services, sources say. The Office of Policy, a five-person department at the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) that produces the official U.S. government editorials aired on VOA, would have its budget slashed by nearly half if the Broadcasting Board of Governors’ proposal goes forward. ... Critics argue that the editorials detract from VOA’s efforts to appear objective. 'A lot of the management [previously worked at] CNN. They see their function as a pure news organization and resist being looked at as a tool for U.S. public diplomacy,' Helle Dale, a senior fellow for public diplomacy at the Heritage Foundation, said. ... Public diplomacy experts said they were puzzled by the broadcasting board’s proposal. 'It is insane.
Here we are trying to figure out what to do to prevent Iran from going nuclear, and the single most effective thing we can do is to encourage dissident forces within Iran to bring about regime change internally,' John Lenczowski, founder of the Institute of World Politics and a former State Department official during the Reagan administration, said. ... Dale said she considered international broadcasting 'to be one of the primary tools for U.S. public diplomacy.' ... Lenczowski said the policy office budget cuts are part of a larger problem of the U.S. government failing to prioritize public diplomacy. 'The larger public diplomacy policy questions address the problem of whether it is going to be Al Jazeera, or Russian radio, or Chinese television, or whoever it is, out there that’s going to explain to the world what American policy is. Or are they going to hear it from us?' Lenczowski said. 'These broadcast stations and internet sites are the only unfiltered news that gets into the minds of millions of people.'” Image from article
VOA going silent in Iran? - voapnnwatchdog.com: “Hotair, September 19, 2013 by Ed Morrissey Earlier today, I mentioned the significant role that the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe played during the Cold War, undermining the credibility of oppressive regimes in Russia and eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain by broadcasting objective news and American viewpoints. One might think that such an effort would be worth making in
Remind Me Again… - bobcesca.thedailybanter.com: "[Comment by:] muselet MrDHalen • 5 days ago − "Dilma Rousseff is engaging in a little show for O Globo and the more credulous members of the Brazilian public. Rousseff's government had to have known the US was intercepting its communications. It's what governments do. The press knew it too, or at least strongly suspected it, but—presumably to boost circulation—O Globo chose to make a big deal of it. Ignoring the outrage, however manufactured, over the US SPIES ON BRAZIL! story would have been terrible politics for Rousseff. She had to make a grand gesture of displeasure, and cancelling a scheduled state visit was just the thing. I'll bet you a cookie that 20-minute phone call was cordial or even friendly, and that the state visit has informally already been rescheduled. Public diplomacy isn't always pretty. –alopecia"
Deputy Foreign Minister of Kosovo meets with US senior official Reeker - Tinka Kurti, balkaneu.com: "Deputy Foreign Minister of Kosovo, Petrit Selimi has met with the US Department of State senior official, Philip Reeker. Ministry of Foreign Affairs also informs that Mr. Selimi also met with Val Fowler, vice assistant of the US Secretary of State for Media Engagement, Vinay Chaula, director in the State Department for Digital Diplomacy.
Reeker praised Kosovo Foreign Ministry for the work done in inter religious dialogue, public diplomacy and lobbying." Fuzzy image from entry, with caption: Pristina, September 16, 2013
21 Journalists Make it Official: Leave News Media to Work Directly for Obama - Kyle Becker, ijreview.com: "The revolving door from left-wing activist news media to political positions in the Obama administration is direct and undeniable. ... The Atlantic, far from a 'right-wing' publication, documents those who have defected from 'journalism' to work in government. ... Rick Stengell
was the former Managing Editor of Time until leaving journalism to become the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the State Department." See also (1) (2) (3) (4) (5: "Media whores become Washington prostitutes: TIME mag editor to join Obama administration") (6) (7); image from entry.
The Two Faces of the U.S. Role in World Affairs - Vasily Likhachev, Moscow Times: "[T]he U.S. — the world's 'leading democracy' — is attempting to play the role of global arbiter. However, it has become a 'repeat offender' for violations of its legal obligations, including those it holds as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. ... All states, regardless
of their size and political or economic influence, must contribute to global security by continuing to respect the UN and international law. The members of the international community have a great deal of work ahead. It is very important that Russian parliamentary and public diplomacy work wisely and actively during this period. Both the executive and legislative branches of Russian government must work in sync to prevent the threat of a direct military intervention in Syria." Image from article
Roses really smell like poo-Putin - Developing Tomorrow: "President Putin’s ‘letter’ in the New York Times is nothing more than empty Russian words. ... While strategic communication and public diplomacy are American definitions to these concepts, it is a practice that has been other names and by other countries."
China intensifies public diplomacy efforts - wantchinatimes.com: "Chinese officials have stepped up their public diplomacy efforts by contributing more articles to international media organizations in order to reach out to the wider public in the international community. One such article, authored by Chinese premier Li Keqiang and entitled China Will Stay the Course on Sustainable Growth, was published in Britain's Financial Times on Sept 9, according to NewsChina, an English-language news magazine published by the Chinese government. ... In recent years more Chinese high-ranking officials have had their articles published before making foreign visits and attending important international meetings, according to NewsChina. Since most of their articles are related to economic and trade topics, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal have become two of their favorite newspapers for getting their views published. ... These developments indicate that Chinese leaders are attaching greater importance to expressing their views, which will help boost diplomacy, experts said."
Why Do World Leaders Still Write Op-Eds? - Joshua Keating, slate.com: "With all the talk of how public diplomacy has been transformed in the Twitter age, world leaders still rely to a remarkable extent on the good old-fashioned newspaper op-ed. ... Putin has been particularly prolific. His first Times op-ed appeared while he was still prime minister in 1999 and his writing and since appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and Foreign Policy. Op-eds can be a useful way to communicate directly with interested parties and policymakers—if not the general public–in other countries, but there are also some pitfalls involved. For one thing, it’s important to choose your venue wisely. John McCain may have been under the impression that Pravda.ru enjoys equivalent influence in
American Hypernationalism and Foreign Influence: A Last Word on Putin - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "The literature on the US as target for foreign public diplomacy is pretty substantial."
Raymond Maxwell - on Facebook: "Diplomacy, the practice itself, is on an evolutionary path. What began as a conversation purely between heads of states, kings, soon became a discourse between princes as the king's emissary. Then, as countries democratized and became republics, diplomacy became an exchange between governments, foreign ministries, diplomatic corps, with some elements, some vestiges remaining of the conversation between princes in the form of summit diplomacy. Now, in the age of the internet reality, we see heads of state and of governments making appeals directly to the people, hence Putin's op-ed in the New York Times, and the Iranian PM's piece today in the Washington Post. Ultimately, though, we (and diplomacy) will evolve to people-to-people diplomacy, with the people themselves making foreign policy decisions in their own names. This stage is greatly feared by governments and kings, who would prefer to maintain a monopoly on foreign affairs. But the genie is out of the lamp... [Comment by Valerie P. Reynolds:] And this is why Public Diplomacy remains critical."
Michael Oren: Obama passes the 'kishka test' - Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post: "In a candid interview with the ‘Post,’ outgoing ambassador to the US looks not only at the last 3 anxious weeks dominated by the Syrian crisis, but also at the US president’s relationship with Israel. ... [Q:] What was the highlight of your tenure there? [A:] Certainly Obama’s visit to Israel was a highlight. I often use a public diplomacy line that there is one country in the Middle East that is politically stable; that has never known a second of non-democratic governance; that is exceedingly robust militarily, technologically and academically; and which is unequivocally pro-American. That was the line, and I think Obama’s visit was the ultimate demonstration of that line. It is true. Obama is up there giving a speech before 2,500 Israeli students who are cheering him, and he is surrounded by American flags. ... [Q:] I asked about the highlight of your tenure. How about the lowest point? [A:] I think that when 5 million Israelis were under rocket fire, that was a low point. The flotilla incident in May 2010 was a tough period. [Q:] Why was that difficult in Washington? [A:] It wasn’t difficult in Washington; it was just difficult in terms of public diplomacy. You had people writing full-page op-eds against us."
Prejudice is why Istanbul lost Olympics: Minister: Same prejudices bear on Turkey's accession negotiations with European Union, says Bagis - worldbulletin.net: "Turkish EU Minister Egemen Bagis blames European 'prejudices' for Istanbul's failed bid to host 2020 Olympics. 'The reason why Istanbul, the city that bridges Asia and Europe, couldn't get the Olympics is prejudices,' Bagis said Saturday in the Ukrainian city of Yalta, which he visits for the tenth annual meeting of Yalta European Strategy (YES), a public diplomacy forum for countries of Eastern Europe. 'We see the same prejudices in our EU membership process,' he said.
Bagis said the European Union should admit countries like Turkey and Ukraine as full members, while calling the EU as the 'biggest peace project in the history of mankind.' 'The EU should leave aside all prejudices, and embrace dynamic developing states. The French, Germans, and Belgians once warred with one another. Now they are able to live together in peace. The EU is the biggest peace project in the history of mankind,' he said. YES, which hosts more than 250 leaders from politics, business, society and media representing 20 countries, is held between 19-22 September in Ukraine." Uncaptioned image from entry
Nepal: China’s Grand Diplomacy Framework - Upendra Gautam, telegraphnepal.com: "Hu Jintao, in his report delivered at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on November 8, 2012 ... [e]xplaining both the state and non-state diplomatic ways and instruments and the role these will play to achieve the goal of great renewal of the Chinese nation, Hu said, 'We will take solid steps to promote public diplomacy as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and protect China’s legitimate rights and interests overseas. We will conduct friendly exchanges with political parties and organizations of other countries and encourage people’s congresses, national and local committees of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, local governments and people’s organizations to increase overseas exchanges so as to consolidate the social foundation for enhancing China’s relations with other countries.' ... Public Diplomacy: A state pursues this type of diplomacy to advance or smoothen issues considered sensitive for state agencies for historical political reasons. Contacts and exchanges between the think tanks and the civil societies in the two countries reflect a form of organized public diplomatic behavior. Growth of this particular type of China’s diplomacy in Nepal is slow and irregular. Some activities have been noted in the electronic and media fields. The public strength and impact of these activities is constrained by traditional individual-focused behavior. Public diplomacy is yet to be recognized at the level where it receives respect and clout and is properly institutionalized with work-efficiency and group values. Unlike China’s public diplomacy with the major countries, in Nepal, it is almost seen as an addendum to the type of state diplomacy. Cultural Diplomacy: This type of diplomacy is carried out between or amongst the counties to highlight the most ancient, profound and all-pervasive cultural link between or amongst the countries. China has used this diplomacy type in Nepal at times very effectively. But this type lacks regularity, expansion and promotion. Evidence of this type of diplomatic exchange was participation of Komojo, considered a most learned person at that time in China, in the coronation of King Birendra in 1975.
Diplomacy institute inducts 450 new members - blueprintng.com: "Institute of Public Diplomacy and management has inducted 450 new members into its rank at the weekend which brings it membership to about 10,000. The training and induction ceremony with the theme: 'Establishing the order of Diplomacy: Key Issues in 21st Century Global management Practices,' which was held in Abuja was, according to the president and chairman, Council of Fellows of the institute, Chief Cliff Ogbede, to draw attention to the 'expedience of creating a process of order and stability within the management influence.' Ogbede said the adoption of diplomacy in managing conflicts with the work environment 'is in line with the demands, challenges and prevailing realities of our day.' According to him, the aim of the institute is to promote public diplomacy and management in the country and to instill the culture of discipline and accountability among its members. Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Patrick Njoku, said most Nigerians stumbled into positions of leadership without proper training in management and diplomacy and that the institute 'offers the opportunities for Nigerians to be trained to manage properly.' He said the institute is open to all Nigerians, adding that proper training of it members is one of the ways of sanitizing the public service of corruption. Director, Center for Asian Studies, University of Abuja, Dr. Y.M. Damagum, during his lecture, said diplomacy is no longer restricted to level of interaction at governmental levels but has become vividly clear that organisations have to take seriously the relevant of diplomatic approach to attaining their objectives."
Free Performance of U.S. Army Band at the Kennedy Center Tonight! - quanticolive.com: "The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” will present the
‘Pershing’s Own’ provides musical support for the leadership of the United States, to include all branches of government, and to a wide spectrum of national and international events in support of Soldiers and their Families, public diplomacy, community and international relations, recruiting initiatives, and music education programs. No tickets are required. This is a free event." See also John Brown, "A Modest Proposal: Make the Pentagon Our Very Own Ministry of Culture!" Huffington Post (October 27, 2009). Image from entry
Turkish Study Trip Review - Joshua Noonan, saisobserver.org: "Over the summer I went with Paul Sturm, SAIS ‘14, on a two-week study trip to Turkey, which focused on the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish state. ... One real value of the trip was the lectures by various experts and public diplomacy specialists on issues important to Turkey. In many ways, these lectures appeared to be an attempt at soft-power influencing by the Turkish government. ... For many SAIS graduates who will be involved in public diplomacy, one of my main take-aways from this trip was knowing one’s audience is the best way to tailor a message. Let people and sights do the storytelling without unnecessary and heavy-handed prodding from government minders or organizers."
President Heather Wilson Inauguration Set for Oct. 4 at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology - virtual-strategy.com: "Heather Wilson, D.Phil., will be inaugurated as the 18th president of the South Dakota School of Minesm and Technology during a 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4, ceremony on the university quad. Former U.S. Ambassador to Finland Barbara Barrett will deliver the inaugural address. Dignitaries representing state and local offices will also participate, along with SDSM and T students, faculty and alumni. ... Until November 2012, Barrett was interim president of Thunderbird School of Global Management. ... She was president of the International Women’s Forum and chairman of both the Secretary of Commerce’s Export Conference and the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy."
Alexey Dolinskiy - - training.dw.de/ausbildung: "Mr Alexey Dolinskiy, PhD, is a Partner at Capstone Connections consultancy and Director of Ward Howell Talent Equity Institute. He combines private and public sector communications, consulting and academic experience. He spent several years working in Russian public diplomacy and taught a class on public diplomacy at
Alexey has successfully completed large scale corporate diplomacy projects in the Asia Pacific region and in
Commentary: The New Historical Link between Vietnam and Iraq - ohio-forum.com: "Matt Jacobs, a Ph.D. student in History at Ohio University who studies 20th century U.S. foreign policy, wrote a commentary for History News Network on the debate over the U.S. role in Syria Latin America during the 1960s."
Current Historiographical Research at the History and Civilisation Department, European University Institute, Florence, Italy - sergenoiret.blogspot.com: "The essays published in Zeitenblicke 12 (2013), Nr. 1 and completing this series of interviews are the following: Frank Gerits, 'An International Approach to the Cultural Cold War. French Public Diplomacy Towards Africa (1945-1965).'"
U.S Consulate General Karachi Job, Political Assistant required 22 Sep 2013 - friendsmania.net: "U. S. Consulate General Karachi is seeking applications from qualified individuals for the PoliticalAssistant position. Attractive salary package and other benefits will be offered to the selected candidate. Qualifications Required: University degree (14 years of education) in political science, history, journalism, public diplomacy, sociology, anthropology or law is required."
RELATED ITEMS
President Rouhani Comes to Town - Editorial, New York Times: The next few weeks will be critical for capitalizing on a new sense of promise created by a recent flurry of remarkable gestures: Iran’s leadership
has sent Rosh Hashana greetings to Jews worldwide via Twitter, released political prisoners, exchanged letters through the Swiss with President Obama, praised “flexibility” in negotiations and transferred responsibility for nuclear negotiations from conservatives in the military to the Foreign Ministry. Mr. Obama eased restraints on humanitarian and good-will activities, including athletic exchanges between the two countries. Image from
Both opportunity and peril over Iran - David Ignatius, washingtonpost.com: The opportunity for a breakthrough with Iran after 34 years of isolation is tantalizing for Obama and his foreign-policy team. For a battered White House, it’s a time to think big — but mind the vexing little details.
Obama's Strategy Of Talking To Countries Instead Of Going To War Might Just Be Crazy Enough To Work - Joshua Hersh, Christina Wilkie, Huffington Post: While it's true that Obama hasn't always held true to the ideals of his early campaign days -- first-term talk of engagement "grounded in mutual respect" eventually gave way to tough rhetoric about "painful sanctions" and nuclear red lines -- he consistently resisted the hardline pull, from hawkish members of Congress and Israeli allies, toward a preventative military strike.
Rouhani could help U.S. national security interests - Katrina vanden Heuvel, washingtonpost.com: President Obama, who wrote directly to the Iranian president (contents of letter still unknown), now has a historic opportunity — one firmly in the United States’ national security interests — to craft an accord with the country’s new leaders. Yet it remains an open question as to whether, given his foreign policy team and the fractious politics of Washington, he will be able to do so.
The heroes inside Syria - No matter one’s stance on military intervention, there are other ways to help — washingtonpost.com: Even if only for the health, shelter and education of the people injured and displaced in Syria. Many humanitarian groups can aid with things as simple as clean water, gauze and blankets. There are ways Americans can make life in Syria better, if only for a few people. One day, in remembrance of kindness and generosity, those few survivors might be able to change their region for the better.
U.S. has not addressed real threat of strategic terrorism - Nathan Myhrvold, washingtonpost.com: It’s quite possible that a strategic terror attack in the next decade or so will kill 100,000 to 1 million Americans. Surely, we then will get serious about strategic terrorism.
America’s hip-hop double-standard - Gilbert Newman Perkins, washingtonpost.com: Similar to writing a Constitution that ignored the institution of slavery, or going abroad to spread the gospel of democracy while stifling the right of women and black people to vote, ignoring the literary genius in hip-hop’s 40-year-old body of work is so negligent that it is as flagrant as a bald-face lie.
Taliban using internet in propaganda war - xinhuanet.com: Taliban militants fighting Afghan government and NATO-led forces to regain power in the militancy- plagued Afghanistan, contrary to the past, have been enormously using the internet in the propaganda war, a change of mind unthinkable 12 years ago.
The armed outfit which was dethroned by the U.S.-led military coalition invasion in late 2001, had outlawed internet, television, video player, cinema, photography and all kind of entertainment during its six-year rule which collapsed in late 2001, nowadays is largely relying on internet to send out its activities and messages to the world. Today, the Taliban outfit has several websites to publish their military and political activities and put on wire for its readers across the globe. Image from entry
Turning Chinese Propaganda Against Itself - wantchinatimes.com: Through striking red banners hung by the Chinese governement, future evictees of
The government doesn’t hang banners in upscale shopping districts or blocks of high rent towers, just the grim neighborhoods of the urban poor who stand in the way of more malls and condos. This juxtaposition is the subject of French photographer Eric Leleu‘s project, Subtitles. But not only does Leleu document these contrasts, he takes them one step further by satirizing the practice with his own banners. Image from article, with caption: Wang Qishan speaks at a meeting in Tianjin.
Central Asia: Propaganda Show Spotlights Soviet Push in Muslim Lands - eurasianet.org: A new exhibit in Moscow offers a colorful way to trace early Soviet history in Central Asia and the Caucasus. “Posters of the Soviet East: 1918-1940,” which opened this month,
features 241 original propaganda placards that targeted the Muslim lands of the former Soviet Union with exhortations on public health, industrialization and class consciousness. The 1920s saw an unfettered flowering of creativity in these regions, especially among Russian-trained artists based in Tashkent and Baku. While central publishing houses in Moscow and Leningrad were shifting to Socialist Realism, artists in the periphery continued the avant-garde movement, combining it with local traditions, according to the exhibit’s curator, Maria Filatova. She sees the colorful posters from the 1920s and early 1930s, with their longer texts and multiple figurines, as direct decedents of local calligraphy and miniature traditions. “Posters of the Soviet East” was organized by the Mardjani Foundation, which sponsors research and cultural programs focusing on the Muslim populations of the former Soviet Union, and the
AMERICANA
Grandparents and retirees get tattoos, fulfilling lifelong dreams and raising eyebrows - Tara Bahrampour, washingtonpost.com: Once the domain of sailors and Maoris and now a staple for younger Americans of all ethnicities and professions, tattoos are trickling up to the older set.
While most who get them still tend to be young — a 2010 Pew study found that 38 percent of millennials and 32 percent of Gen Xers have them — their elders are increasingly joining the party. Fifteen percent of baby boomers have tattoos, and 6 percent of the Silent Generation do. Image from article
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