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John Brown aggregates all the most recent public diplomacy related news, including current issues in U.S. foreign policy, international broadcasting and media, propaganda, cultural diplomacy, educational exchanges, anti-Americanism, and the reception of American popular culture abroad.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PRESS AND BLOG REVIEW, JANUARY 14-15, 2008
by John H. Brown

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PRESS AND BLOG REVIEW, JANUARY 14-15

“You can do waterboarding lots of different ways.”

--National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell; cited in Dan Froomkin, “The McConnell Interview,” in “Bush Chooses What to Believe” (washingtonpost.com, January 14)
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“Whoever in the case of a European war was not with me was against me.”

--Kaiser William II, informing Chancellor von Bülow what he had told Belgian King Leopold II in 1904; cited in Barbara W. Tuchman, “The Guns of August” (Tess Press reprint), p. 29

EXHIBITS

a) Re “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of Empire Style: 1800-1815,” on display until January 27, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: “Long before the emergence of radio, television, or the Internet [propaganda] ... flowered during the reign of a man who commanded the largest army Europe had ever seen, but who insisted that ‘Imagination rules the world,’ not the rifle or the cannon.”

--Jacqueline Houton,“Symbols Of Power@MFA” (Big Red and Shiny, January 14)
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b) “Artists Against the War,” forthcoming at the Society of Illustrators in NYC, sixty pieces by sixty artists offering a vast range of observation, thought, and feeling.
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VIDEOS

a) Olbermann accuses U.S of trying to FAKE new Gulf of Tonkin
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b) Iranian Navy Propaganda Long Version Borat Lives!!
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POLITICAL CARTOON

Hillary Faces the Bad Guys
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A) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (1-14)

1. Press Gaggle by National Security Advisor Steve Hadley Aboard Air Force One En Route Saudi Arabia – (Office of the Press Secretary. White House, January 14): Q Just one last thing—why did the President decide now in his last moments of his presidency to come do this kind of cultural outreach, public diplomacy thing in the UAE and Bahrain? Why was that important now? I mean, so much, so many cultural stops and he never usually does these kinds of things. MR. HADLEY: We’ve been doing cultural stops really for a while. If you look at the trip that we made in Latin America here a year, year-plus ago, it’s very much of a piece. One of the things we try to do is we figure out what are the objectives for the trip; what are the themes he wants to strike, both with the leaders and then publicly? And then in addition to the sort of formal governmental advance, we ask ourselves, what are the events that he can do that would both advance those objectives, both in terms of his own knowledge and understanding, but also can be visible of examples of his advancing that agenda, both for the country and in the region as a whole? That’s what we did in Latin America. That’s what we’ve done here. We did—tried to do the same thing on the trip to Australia, though that was considerably abbreviated. So I don’t think that’s particularly new. We’ve done it before. It’s a good part of getting him to see and be seen in the region.
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2. Illusions of the people who love to hate America - Ted Bromund (Yorkshire Post, January 14): The paradox is that while US relations with foreign governments have improved markedly, foreign publics are less impressed. That is the dilemma facing US public diplomacy, and the many governments around the world that want to work closely with the US: close relations between democratic states cannot endure without the support of the people. It is essential for the US to argue vigorously for its policies, which it has failed to do. But a point-by-point defence is not enough: the challenge for the US is to break through the story that disposes too many Europeans to be suspicious of anything the US does, and to ignore anything that is not compatible with blaming America first. (Ted R Bromund is associate director of International Security Studies at Yale University).
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3. Desperately seeking drains and democracy – (Stephanie Doust: Only dull people are lively in the mornings, January 15): “Of course, never one to avoid a mind-numbingly boring exercise in patronising public diplomacy, Mr GW stumbled through a speech based on the claim that democracy is best. Golly. We all know that. I mean look what it’s delivered: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Nauru, GW...”
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4. Countering Ideological Support for Terrorism – (MountainRunner, January 14): “Briefly, countering ideological support for terrorism (CIST) is a catch-phrase that predates Dr. Michael Doran’s appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Support to Public Diplomacy, as he admits, but he has readily adopted it and is, as far as I can tell, the only person still promoting it publicly.’”
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on Doran see
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see also
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5. U.S. Public Diplomacy: Forget the U.S. Image, Focus on Enemy Wrongs - Hampton Stephens (World Politics Review, January 15): In focusing on the enemy, it’s not just their atrocities that provide ample fodder for a P.R. campaign aimed at alienating extremists. In addition to shaming them, the U.S. and the civilized world should also be exposing them to ridicule.
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6. Douglas Johnston on “Speaking of Faith”: Why Religion Matters—And Has To Matter—To U.S. Public Diplomacy - Paul D. Kretkowski (Beacon, January 14): Douglas Johnston, head of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, former submarine commander, COO of CSIS, presidential advisor, and all-around policy actor, insists that US public diplomacy engage the religious element in other societies as deeply as is consistent with the Constitution’s establishment clause —not because religion is important to Americans so much as that it’s the indispensable entry point for talking about anything else with the nations the U.S. most wants to engage.
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7. Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy, latest edition)
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8. U-TURN: In Iran Reversal, Bureaucrats Triumphed Over Cheney Team; Rivalries Behind Iraq War Play Out in Risk Report; Bush Issues New Warning - Jay Solomon And Siobhan Gorman (Wall Street Journal, January 14): The more-cautious intelligence camp is grabbing the reins in Washington. The power shift can be seen in other areas where US policy appears to be softening. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is supporting cultural exchanges and direct dialogue with Pyongyang.
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paid subscription

9. America’s Role in the World: A Business Perspective on Public Diplomacy [review of Business for Diplomacy Action, America’s Role in the World: A Business Perspective on Public Diplomacy [October 2007] - J. Edgar Williams (American Diplomacy, January, 2008): According to the Business for Diplomacy Action report, “America’s Role in the World,” public diplomacy, as it now exists, has fallen far behind American business in developing effective communications with people worldwide. The report recommends placing public diplomacy under a non-partisan, independent Corporation for Public Diplomacy that would represent the business community along with other sectors. Another new, inter-agency creation, the National Communications Council, would assist the President in coordinating public diplomacy among the various government departments and agencies.
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BDA report at
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10. Women As Democracy Strategists - H. Veziroglu (New Ideas and Projects for 2000s, January 13): “Diplomacy requires dialogue, reconciliation, openness, and peaceful negotiation. Women can certainly be a good catalyst for change, and they can act as competent democracy strategists if they are given an opportunity to get involved. The most powerful political, cultural messages can be transmitted on the world stage by proactive and reactive press coverages. Handling media inquiries require public diplomacy, opinion formation, and psychological strategy plus action. Shouldn’t we ask other women in business and political spheres of life that they have a catalytic effect in the years to come?”
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11. Pressure Mounts on British Council - Irina Titova and Kevin O’Flynn (Moscow Times, January 14): The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador on Monday as the government stepped up pressure on the British Council after London defied orders to close two offices in Russia. The ministry said it would start moves to recover back taxes from the council’s office in St. Petersburg, refuse to renew the accreditation of diplomats who now work in its regional offices, and refuse to give visas to new employees.
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see also
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12. India-China relations: Mending fences - Prem Shankar Jha (domain-b.com, January 14): In the last few months there has been a palpable growth of discomfort along the Sino-Indian border. And in the last few weeks Pakistan has begun to slide towards chaos with gathering speed, and bids fair to become a nursery for new threats to the stability of both countries. Neither of these challenges can be met through public diplomacy. LINK (link may not be accessible)

13. Letter to Japan Foreign Minister Koumura - Brad Adams, Executive Director, Asia Division (Human Rights Watch, January 15): “[T]o date Human Rights Watch is not aware that the Japanese government has publicly expressed concerns about human rights abuses in the region except for Burma. Though we welcome this public diplomacy and the suspension of one non-humanitarian aid project, we are concerned these gestures will have little impact on the generals in Burma—or on other abusive governments—unless they are sustained by regular, strong public messages and concrete actions.”
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14. Back at School – Mithra (Holier Than Thou: M/2, January 14): “So classes began last Monday and they hit the ground running! I’m taking stats, micro-econ, American institutions, and US & China in the crossroads. Initially I was in a Public Diplomacy course taught by our Diplomat in Residence Kovach but the course is at 5 pm on Tuesdays and ends at 7:50. I just can’t be at school for almost 12 hours everyday since naturally I wouldn’t go in for one class then come back later. So yeah, I’m pretty happy with my courses though.”
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B) RELATED ITEMS (Russian Democracy Institute in New York, 15; Turkey and US world standing, 16; Arab bloggers, 17; US Foreign Service, 18; Iraq, 19-24; Iran, 25-30; Israel/Palestine, 31-33; Bush in Middle East, 34-36; Afghanistian, 37; Pakistan, 38-40; Japan, 41; U.S. in world 42-43; heroic diplomats of the Holocaust, 44; Rice, 45-47)

15. Institute to Delve Into U.S. Democracy - Alexander Osipovich (Moscow Times, January 14): A Russian foundation devoted to democracy and human rights is setting up shop in the United States. The Moscow-based Institute of Democracy and Cooperation officially registered its New York branch on Dec. 31, several weeks after registering a branch in Paris, the chairman of the foundation said Friday. The foundation appears to be the latest attempt to influence foreign opinion about Russia through so-called “soft power” tactics. Another such project is Russia Today, a 24-hour English-language news station funded by the Kremlin.
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courtesy Paul Smith

16. Bush’s Diplomatic Amends - Jackson Diehl (Washington Post, January 14): By now Americans are painfully aware of the country’s drastic loss of standing around the world during George W. Bush’s presidency. But a comeback of sorts is underway as the administration winds down, and Turkey is a big part of it. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were the leading architects of the Turkish-American reconstruction.
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on US-Turkey see also
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17. Unlock the voices of the Arab street - Mona Eltahawy (Globe and Mail, January 14): Why are bloggers so feared by authoritarian regimes in the Arab world? Because they are young and blogging is, at last, a way to express themselves in a world where they are ignored. The majority of the Arab world is under the age of 30 and this majority has few venues in which to express their views—political or otherwise.
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via
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18. Veteran envoys lament bad rap - Nicholas Kralev (Washington Times, January 14): A recent outcry in the Foreign Service over forced assignments in Iraq has angered many veteran diplomats, who say that whiners and complainers in their ranks have made the diplomatic corps look unprofessional and disloyal. That perception was reinforced last week by a survey of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the diplomats’ union, in which 1,592 respondents said they would not volunteer for Iraq positions because of “disagreement with policy.” The survey was sent to all 11,500 members of the Foreign Service, but only 4,311 chose to participate in it, AFSA said. It was immediately dismissed by the State Department leadership as meaningless, because of its “self-selectiveness.” SEE BELOW ITEM 44.
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19. Wolf Urges Safety Probe Of Baghdad Embassy - Glenn Kessler (Washington Post, January 15): The Government Accountability Office should “initiate a full and thorough investigation” of allegations that the firefighting systems at the new U.S. Embassy complex under construction in Baghdad have potential safety problems, Rep. Frank R. Wolf (Va.), a senior lawmaker said yesterday.
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20. The Results Are In ...: Oh, By the Way, the Iraqis Don’t Really Want Us - William Blum (CounterPunch, January 13): The US military in Iraq hired firms to conduct focus groups amongst a cross section of the population. Among the findings: Iraqis of all sectarian and ethnic groups believe that the US military invasion is the primary root of the violent differences among them.
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21. The Forgotten Iraqi Exiles – (BagnewsNotes, January 15)
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22. The Democrats’ Fairy Tale - William Kristol (New York Times, January 14): Because the U.S. sent more troops instead of withdrawing—because, in other words, President Bush won his battles in 2007 with the Democratic Congress—we have been able to turn around the situation in Iraq.
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See also on Kristol’s article
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On Kristol at the Times
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23. More Than Half Full: Reading the media from Diyala - David French (National Review): The surge has succeeded not simply because we’ve put more boots on the ground; it has succeeded in large part because it has coincided with more capable Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the explosive growth of local “Awakening Councils”—citizen groups who provide their own security after al-Qaeda has been driven out.
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24. The Surge Effect: The gamble is paying off for Bush and McCain - Fred Barnes (Weekly Standard, January 21): The surge effect is the result of gains in Iraq well beyond the most optimistic dreams of the surge’s advocates.
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25. The Iranian challenge - Harlan Ullman (January 14): Iran, of course, has a reason to provoke coalition warships. The image of tiny speedboats challenging the mightiest Navy in the world has great propaganda value. But an incidents at sea agreement for the Gulf makes sense. Indeed, such an agreement could include each of the navies operating in the Gulf to prevent an incident from inadvertently turning into a crisis because one or another party made a miscalculation or mistake.
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26. Iran continues to provoke - James Lyons (Washington Times, January 15)
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27. President Bush’s Only Achievement in the Middle East is to Increase the Power of Iran: The most soaring rhetoric about democracy is swiftly choked to death by petrol fumes - Johann Hari (Independent, January 14/Common Dreams)
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28. It’s Not About Iran - Shibley Telhami (Washington Post, January 14): In making his case for confronting Iran, Bush is likely to get polite nods from Arab leaders. Don’t mistake that for an embrace of American policy. What they need above all is for the United States to succeed in mediating Palestinian-Israeli peace—not dismiss their peace calls as a fig leaf for some deeper desire for confrontation with Iran.
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29. Around Iran, anxiety abounds – Editorial (Boston Globe, January 14): Gulf Arabs have to be persuaded not only that they will be protected but also that they will be included in any grand bargain over Gulf security between the United States and Iran.
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30. Artificial Intelligence: President Bush’s cavalier dismissal of the NIE undermines our credibility, again - Fred Kaplan (Slate, January 14): It is increasingly unlikely, for many reasons, that the United States will bomb Iran before the year is out. But, wittingly or not, did Bush just flash a green light to Olmert?
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31. Pressure from fantasy land - Moshe Arens (Haaretz, January 15): The talk about the need to give in to American pressure comes straight out of fantasy land. There is no American pressure and there will be no American pressure for Israeli concessions.
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32. Bush changes tone – Editorial comment (Financial Times, January 14): A determined effort by the president to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians is now the only way he can keep himself in the spotlight.
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33. The generals of Professor Rice – Amir Oren (Haaretz, January 15): The real battle, between Rice and Israel, will now take place over the president’s support, with Rice having the upper hand, because until his next visit here, Bush will expect to see results on the ground.
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34. A lackluster report card for Bush’s Middle East junket – Edward M. Gomez (World Views, SF Gate, January 14): Unfortunately for Bush’s team, despite the considerable expense of his public-relations junket to Israel and several Arab countries, many news media in the region—and even some major news outlets beyond it—did not give the Republican pol’s trip high marks.
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35. The End of the Road for George W. Bush - Chris Hedges (Truthdig, January 14): The Gilbert and Sullivan charade of statesmanship played out by George W. Bush and his enabler, Condoleezza Rice, as they wander the Middle East is a fitting end to seven years of misrule.
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36. Bush Nudges Mideast on Democracy: Dissidents Skeptical, Saying U.S. Has Overlooked Abuses - Michael Abramowitz (Washington Post, January 14)
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37. Afghans, Report for Duty - Ronald E. Neumann (New York Times, January 14): We are creating more battalions for the Afghan Army as fast as possible. A better strategy would be to institute a draft in Afghanistan.
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38. Pakistan’s Terror Inc. - Arnaud de Borchgrave (Washington Times, January 14): Deafening allied silence greeted Defense Secretary Bob Gates’ Afghan request for more NATO troops. So the Pentagon is now drawing up plans to move some 3,200 additional troops, all Marines, to Afghanistan, bringing U.S. and coalition forces to 50,000. But it’s still the wrong target. The country is fractured, divided — and at war with itself. This won’t change until Taliban is booted out of the seven tribal agencies known as FATA (for Federally Administered Tribal Areas) in Pakistan.
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39. Our ally in Islamabad – (Los Angeles Times, January 14): Has it been worth billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid to support Pervez Musharraf? Does fighting terrorism justify propping up an undemocratic regime? All week, Brian Katulis and Lisa Curtis debate the U.S. alliance with Pakistan.
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40. Beating extremists by building schools – Trudy Rubin (baltimoresun.com, January 15): The United States invested $256 million from 2002 to 2007 in education reform in Pakistan, but there is little sign the programs have broken through Pakistan’s bureaucratic blockage. Yet nothing could be more important in the long-term struggle to redirect alienated youngsters away from jihad and into productive lives.
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41. Japan Sails Again – Review & Outlook (January 14): The Japanese Diet voted Friday to resume an antiterror mission in the Indian Ocean—to which we say, welcome back to the fight. It’s a signal that Washington’s staunchest ally in Asia hasn’t abandoned its recent ambition to play a greater role in international security, especially in its own part of the world.
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42. The Hundred-Year War: McCain wants us in Iraq permanently – Justin Raimondo (antiwar.com, January 14): The United States, which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, simply cannot afford the luxury of imperialism.
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43. “Visions of Omnipotence”: 60 Years of Empire - Saul Landau (CounterPunch, January 12/13): The world has watched George W. Bush lead the United States from a bright dream toward an incipient nightmare.
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44. Defying Orders, Saving Lives: Heroic Diplomats of the Holocaust - Richard Holbrooke (Foreign Affairs, May/June): Little-known heroes of the Holocaust were the rare diplomats who defied their superiors’ orders and issued visas to save lives. With Iraqis now scrambling to leave their own country, those examples are as relevant today as ever.
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courtesy Tex Harris

45. Condi Sneaks into Iraq All Quick-Like - (Princess Sparkle Pony’s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 15):
PHOTO: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki meets US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Baghdad January 15.
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46. Cheers! – (Princess Sparkle Pony’s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 14): US Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice selects a strawberry juice drink during a visit the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, Monday, Jan. 14, in Dubai, United Arabs Emirates.
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see also
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47. Condi Roundup - Peter Huestis (Wonkette, January 14): What is the Condibot? The labor-saving, Disneytronic construct occasionally trotted out by the administration when the real thing needs to catch up on her beauty sleep after a hard year, that’s what! Think of the Condibot as a kind of “stay the course” deal: a holding pattern programmed with simple talking points and cunningly meaningless phrases. In other words, it’s almost impossible to tell the real thing from the robot.
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C) ONLY IN AMERICA?

48. OFF/beat’s Bright Business Ideas for 2008 – Emil Steiner (OFF/Beat, Washingtonpost.com, January 14): Personal Fart Guards: And with all the Veggie Hag franchises that are bound to start popping up, there’s a fortune to be made on olfactory purification. Air fresheners are wasteful, ineffective and in some cases even toxic. But thanks to revolutionary new technologies and American ingenuity, gassy consumers can now putter around without fear of social disgrace. LINK

49. Did Telling a Whopper Sell the Whopper? - Emily Bryson York (Advertising Age, January 14): Burger King says its eight-minute, documentary-style video on its whopper burger has gotten 1.5 million views since it was posted last month.
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Whopper Video at
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50. Understanding American Philanthropy - Li Yuan (Wall Street Journal, January 14): In 2005 more than 67% of U.S. households donated to charity, and nearly 98% of high net-worth households (those with incomes of greater than $200,000 or assets in excess of $1 million) donated to a charitable organization, according to a survey by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. In fact, over the past 40 years Americans have donated, on average, about 1.8% of their annual gross domestic product.
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paid subscription

D) MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

“Wow! It’s official! Condi sucks!”

--Princess Sparkle Pony’s Photoblog reader Lulu Maude, commenting on a photo of Secretary of Rice using a straw to drink a fruit juice offered to her in Dubai; cited in “Condi Confronts Old Nemesis at Festive Drink Palace” (Princess Sparkle Pony’s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 14).
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“I’m not good with animals.”

--Overheard remark in the UAE by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, regarding her holding a falcon; cited in “Condi Confronts Old Nemesis at Festive Drink Palace” (Princess Sparkle Pony’s Photo Blog, January 14)
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“A man who is taught that he is nothing more than an animal will have no pangs of conscience when he behaves like one, living for consumption, indulgence, and the satisfaction of his hormonal urges. This ... is what is most destroying the American male as he invests his energy at work and returns home an uninspired wreck, unable to love his wife and incapable of inspiring his children.”

--Shmuley Boteach, “Threat to human uniqueness” (Jerusalem Post, January 14)
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“American politicians take time out from their busy lives to make speeches that sound empty; British politicians fill the emptiness of their lives with words that make them sound busy.”

--Armando Iannucci, “Barack Obama—I’m sure we’ve seen him somewhere before” (Observer, January 13)
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“The Latest From Late Night Comedians—David Letterman: Top Ten Things Overheard on George W. Bush’s Trip To The Middle East.

10. ‘Where can I buy one of them flying carpets?’
9. ‘Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, it’s me, the guy who rammed democracy down your throats.’
8. ‘Is the war over yet?’
7. ‘I know your name’s Mahmoud, but I’m gonna call you ‘Manny.’
6. ‘Gas up Air Force One—W. wants to go to Reno.’
5. ‘Tell Cheney he doesn’t have to call me every time he has a heart attack.’
4. ‘I wonder if Jackoway hammered out that interim agreement with Hamas.’
3. ‘That’s not a kitty, sir, it’s a Sphinx.’
2. ‘It’s nice to finally put a face to the devastation I’ve created.’
1. ‘My next stop—the Middle West!’”

--Political Bulletin, U.S. News & World Report (January 14)
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via
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