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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 23-24, 2008
by John H. Brown

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PRESS AND BLOG REVIEW, JANUARY 23-24

“What do you do when you get married?”

--Question posed in South Carolina by a five year old to former President Bill Clinton; cited in “Bill Clinton Lies To 5-Year-Olds, Too” (Wonkette, January 24)
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“I’m a spray man myself.”

--President George W. Bush, speaking to government leaders and American counter-narcotics officials during his 2006 trip to Afghanistan; cited in Richard Holbrooke, “Still Wrong in Afghanistan” (Washington Post, January 23)
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DOCUMENTS

a) Detailed Information On The Public Diplomacy Assessment (Expectmore.gov). Assessment year: 2006
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b) “Evaluation and the New Public Diplomacy: Presentation to the Future of Public Diplomacy 842nd Wilton Park Conference” (March 2, 2007) by David Steven, River Path Associates
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VIDEO

How to make a propaganda poster
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ATLANTIC MONTHLY

Atlantic.com is dropping its subscriber registration requirement and making the site free to all visitors.
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A) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (1-24)

1. We Must Address Poor Image Of United States In The Arab World - Marwan Kraidy (Desmoinesregister.Com, January 24): A renewed U.S. multilateralism must integrate numerous state and non-state actors. A series of basic, common-sense steps should be undertaken: Create an empowered, better-funded and more autonomous public diplomacy organism. The low US reputation in the Arab world is not a communication problem but a policy problem. The silver lining is that negative perceptions of the United States in the Arab world are not old or immutable. They are the result of U.S. policies. So a change in policies can also result in a change in perceptions.
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2. Gaza explodes: In this unfolding tragedy, borders have turned into instruments of collective punishment, Israel’s way of bringing Palestinians to their knees - Soumaya Ghannoushi (Guardian, January 24): Enormous amounts of money were and continue to be, pumped into a public diplomacy strategy aimed at improving America’s image in the world. But the truth is that a mere glimpse of what goes on in Gaza today, or what went on in Jenin, Rafah, or Beit Hanoun before, is enough to undo the work of years of exchange programmes, speaking tours, and PR campaigns. SEE BELOW ITEMS 26-33.
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3. Reviews are In, and They’re Not Good - Steven R. Corman (Comops Journal, January 22): Comments by the press in a supposedly moderate Arab state—Qatar—underscore the poor position of the U.S. in public diplomacy, its inability to influence the conversation other than to reproduce a negative image, and the consequent need to do something that will change the game.
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4. Blunderbuss shots at U.S. public diplomacy - (Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy, January 23): “Do a little bit of research, and the ‘Britney Spears’ [USG-funded] radio broadcasts (which are mostly not Britney Spears) make some sense. People in the Middle East are using television for news, current affairs, and ‘freight.’ The radio audience is more interested in music. Radio Sawa and Radio Farda appear to be attracting large audiences, who are then captive for brief but substantive newscasts. As for the internet, the State Department already has Arabic speakers working the Arab blogs.”
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5. (Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy, latest edition): Contains other items pertaining to public diplomacy.
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6. No Quechua Or Aymara In Voice Of America – (Speedy Gonzalez Es De La Dea: Ándale Ándale!! Arriba Arriba!!Yeap!Yeap!, January 23): Following the lead of Clinton appointees on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the Bush Administration has decided not to ask Congress for needed funds to continue important international broadcasts around the world.
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7. In the Ideological War Against Terrorism, the Military Has No Mission - William M. Arkin (washingtonpost.com, January 24): Various “information operations” projects have proliferated within the military. The new deputy assistant secretary for public dilomacy, Michael Doran, said that strategic communications is “syncing our messaging with our actions, so our actions reinforce our words.” This is a tall order for the military, because what is called “strategic communication” is hopelessly confused.
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8. Rummy Resurfaces, Calls for U.S. Propaganda Agency - Sharon Weinberger (Danger Room, Wired, January 23): Back in 2001, the Pentagon under Donald Rumsfeld’s leadership created the controversial Office of Strategic Influence, which was closed down just a few months later after its existence became public. Now, the former defense secretary has a bigger vision: he is advocating a “21st century agency for global communications.”
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see also
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9. Former SecDef Calls for new USIA (Updated, again)(MountainRunner, January 23): Within public diplomacy circles you won’t find a consensus on how or even if a new USIA-like agency should be structured, how close it should be to the President, and if it would be under the National Security Council (a popular suggestion) or have its own seat on the cabinet.
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10. Military Plans to Control Internet Revealed - Sopan Greene (The Invisible Opportunity: Discover the Secret Knowledge and Power Hidden Right Before Your Eyes, January 23): Cites the 2003 Pentagon document “Information Operations Roadmap” that “Information intended for foreign audiences, including public diplomacy and Psyops, is increasingly consumed by our domestic audience.”
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11. Potential New Top Diplomat: A Clothes Horse – Mary Ann Akers (The Sleuth, Washington Post, January 22): Even if he was colossally wrong about the stock market, here’s one thing James K. “Jim” Glassman can predict with certainty: If he wins Senate confirmation to become undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, he’ll improve the sartorial quotient at the State Department by at least 300 percent.
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12. Discussion - Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts (Reliable Source, Washington Post, January 23): Discussant “Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C”: “Some, upon reading the latest Sleuth blog about State Department Office of Public Diplomacy nominee James Glassman, might be skeptical about his qualifications and eventual effectiveness in the job, but I worked in that area of State, and can say that an expensively-dressed neocon is just what we need in order to win the hearts and minds of those around the world who might be skeptical about U.S. foreign policy practices and who think we are a country whose policies are determined by the rich and our leaders are insensitive to the plight of the world’s poor.”
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13. Why Hillary Clinton Will Restore America’s Standing in the World - Lissa Muscatine and Melanne Verveer (Huffington Post, January 24): Hillary Clinton has been practicing public diplomacy for years and is widely respected around the world for her longtime commitment to international development, human rights and America’s global leadership. SEE BELOW ITEM 51.
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see also
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14. Robert Grupp Installed as President of IPRA, The Global Network of Senior Public Relations Professionals: Corporate Communications Executive Champions Public Diplomacy – (PR Newswire, January 24): The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) today installed Robert W. Grupp as its President. Grupp, a vocal proponent of “public diplomacy” and its relevancy to business and public relations, describes it as an essential tool to foster understanding of common interests and to build respect for cultures and contributions by people across a dramatically changing world.
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15. Second Keynote Speaker For Conference—Craig Newmark, Craigslist Founder - (WebGuild Blog, January 23): Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist, will be the second headline Keynote Speaker at the upcoming WebGuild Web 2.0 Conference & Expo on Tuesday, January 29, 2008. Craig is involved with a variety of community efforts and is particularly interested in organizations promoting public diplomacy, mideast peace and new forms of media such as participatory journalism. LINK

16. Spend, Spend Spend! On What? – dchayes (trackdot...what I’m reading on the web, January 24): “on my way to the apple store, i passed a big screen lcd attached to one of the subway entrances nearby. with times square not so far away i wondered what big companies would spend their money on if we didn’t have such a love affair with consumption of myriad products. perhaps persuasive tech and public diplomacy would make up a larger piece of the advertising pie. speaking of persuasive tech, bj fogg of stanford’s persuasive tech lab is discussing facebook applications, mass persuasion and world peace today.”
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17. Turtle Bay Tale – Review & Outlook (Wall Street Journal, January 24): Credit Kim Jong Il with the world’s weirdest public diplomacy. He has instructed his diplomats to confirm that, yes, the totalitarian state used the United Nations to transfer $2.72 million to its diplomatic missions in violation of U.N. rules and international financial regulations. Yet the extent of the North’s criminal activities is still far from known.
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18. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Attends the Sixth Council General Meeting of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs – Press Release (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People’s Republic of China, January 22): On January 21, 2008, at the sixth general meeting of the Council of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) held in Beijing, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that as an important non-governmental public diplomatic organization with a long and glorious history the CPIFA has played a unique and irreplaceable role of supporting China’s diplomacy at different historical periods. He stressed that the non-governmental public diplomacy faces “both unprecedented opportunities and challenges.”
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19. Chinese president calls for stepped-up propaganda work ahead of Olympics - Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press, Yahoo! News Malaysia, January 24): President Hu called for boosting China’s “national cultural soft power,” a reference to influence in culture, sports and other spheres outside traditional military might and hard-nosed diplomacy. Officials should “perform well the task of outward propaganda, further exhibit and raise up the nation’s good image,” Hu said.
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20. News - Briefing board (Scotsman, January 24): British Council Scotland held a conference at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Tuesday, to discuss “Scotland’s place in the world—the role of public diplomacy.” Speakers included Linda Fabiani, the Europe minister, Christopher Merrill from Iowa University, and Jan Melissen of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations.
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21. Getting to Know the European Union: Greece – (EU for You: Getting to Know the European Union, January 22): Alexandros P. Mallias, Greece’s Ambassador to the United States, presented his credentials to President Bush in October 2005. A proponent of public diplomacy, Ambassador Mallias has made people-to-people diplomacy an integral part of his mission in the United States, reaching beyond the bounds of Washington politics.
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22. Matt Lee’s Abstract and Bio - (Honors 440 Blog, January 22): Matthew Lee is a 4th year student of Theatre and Interactive Media at the University of Southern California, with skills in 3d modeling, sound design, storytelling, and image manipulation). In addition to student projects, he works on the Center for Public Diplomacy’s Virtual Worlds project, exploring and engaging in virtual societies to increase awareness of potential uses, and facilitating others’ participation in virtual space.
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23. Delphi International Internship – (SIS-388 International Environmental Politics, January 23): “Delphi International is seeking energetic students who would like to work on implementing the U.S. Department of State’s public diplomacy program, the International Visitors Leadership Program. Intern positions are available immediately, and we’re also accepting resumes’ for winter/spring.”
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24. Public Diplomacy for a Post Cheney world; The Seminar - Diary Entry by ladybroadoak (OpEdNews, January 24): “I will be conducting a seminar next term, Post Cheney America 501, to which all students may apply. ... Good students will be recommended for foreign study at the discretion of the instructor. You may be rewarded by a trip to Dubai or to Paraguay.”
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B) RELATED ITEMS (US support for former weapons scientists in Russia, 25; Gaza, 26-33; Iraq, 34-37; Iran, 38; Middle East, 39-40; Afghanistan, 41-43; Pakistan, 44-45; North Korea, 46-47; NATO, 48; Sudan, 49; Venezuela, 50; Bill Clinton foreign policy, 51; Internet, 52; CIA in the Cold War, 53; State Department, 54-55; Rice, 56-59)

25. Hiring of Soviet Scientists Has Strayed From Aim, Audit Says - Matthew L. Wald (New York Times, January 24): An American effort set up after the fall of the Soviet Union to hire its former weapons scientists to keep them from selling their skills to nations seeking nuclear, biological or chemical weapons is now paying people who were never weapons scientists and are too young to have worked in the old Soviet program, according to Congressional auditors. The Department of Energy program, which has a budget this year of $30 million, has spent about $309 million since its inception in 1994. The State Department runs a program similar to the one at the Energy Department. It is based on institutes, not individual scientists, but has “graduated” some of the institutes as they have become self-sufficient. The State Department hopes to end the program by 2012.
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26. Propaganda battle over Gaza plight - Jonathan Marcus (BBC News, January 21): Even before Israel began to implement its decision to restrict fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip there was strong international condemnation from the United Nations, from aid organisations, and indeed from a number of friendly governments.
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27. Embattled Gaza: a Propaganda Coup for Hamas - Frida Ghitis (World Politics Review, January 24): Much of the news coverage has carefully concealed that, as many in the Arab world point out, responsibility for the current crisis lies squarely on the shoulders of Hamas, the extremist organization that runs Gaza.
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28. Juan Cole Peddles Hamas Propaganda; Accuses Israel of “Atrocities,” “War Crimes,” and “Slavery” - Cinnamon Stillwell (Campus Watch: Monitoring Middle East Studies on Campus, January 22): “When it comes to off-the-wall commentary on the Middle East conflict, University of Michigan history professor Juan Cole is the gift that keeps on giving. If there’s anti-Israel propaganda to be found, one can be sure Cole will be peddling it at his ironically named blog, Informed Comment.”
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29. End the occupation—and get justice for its victims - Bassam Aramin (baltimoresun.com, January 24): Israelis and their government—and Americans and their government—should be ashamed at the travesty in Gaza today. LINK

30. The Biggest Jailbreak in History: The Siege of Gaza is Broken - Stanley Heller (CounterPunch, January 24): The Palestinian people took their destiny in their own hands and smashed down the wall that divided Gaza from Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of people left their prison and walked into Egypt and bought up food, fuel and everything else in sight. It took great courage to do what they did. LINK

31. The West’s Orwellian Monopoly on Morality - Paul Craig Roberts (antiwar.com, January 24): The United States, the great moral light unto the world, has just prevented the United Nations from censuring Israel, the world’s other great moral light, for cutting off food supplies, medical supplies, and electric power to Gaza
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32. Breach in Gaza: As thousands stream across the border to Egypt, Hamas blockades the peace process – Editorial (Washington Post, January 24): The Bush administration and European governments should act to stop the ongoing farce at the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. Human Rights Council, which have ignored months of daily rocket attacks aimed at Israeli civilians but now rush to condemn a partial, three-day disruption of Gaza’s power supplies.
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33. Gaza in Second Life – (islamOnline.com, January 24): People from tens of different world countries gathered on IslamOnline.net’s island inside the virtual world of Second Life for a peaceful rally protesting the situation in Gaza.
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34. Iraq’s New Law on Ex-Baathists Could Bring Another Purge - Amit R. Paley and Joshua Partlow (Washington Post, January 23): Under new legislation promoted as way to return former Baathists to public life, thousands could be forced out of jobs they have been allowed to hold, according to Iraqi lawmakers and the government agency that oversees ex-Baathists.
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35. Remarkable progress in Iraq - Helle Dale (Washington Times, January 23): Not every dark cloud has a silver lining, but $100 per barrel oil could have at least one: the boost it is providing for Iraq’s long-suffering economy. Combined with greater political stability, and spreading zones of security, ascending oil prices are showing promise of making 2008 one of the best years Iraq has had in a long while.
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36. How fear turns to resolve in one Iraqi village: US-Iraqi forces persuade a remote town in Diyala Province to fight against Al Qaeda insurgents - Scott Peterson (Christian Science Monitor, January 23)
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37. False Pretenses: Following 9/11, President Bush and seven top officials of his administration waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq - Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith (Center for Public Integrity)
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courtesy Len Baldyga

38. A message for Tehran – Editorial (Boston Globe, January 24): With parliamentary elections in Iran coming in March and Ahmadinejad being blamed for dozens of deaths due to a shortage of natural gas, this is the ideal time to inform Iranians that they need not go on suffering from his incompetence or his bravado.
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39. Familiar Mideast mania - Paul Greenberg (Washington Times, January 24): If the goal were more modest in the Mideast, like just containing the current brush fires, it might be achievable.
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40. A Mideast lesson for Bush - H.D.S. Greenway (Boston Globe, January 22): President Bush’s trip to the Middle East last week seems to have been an effort to blow some air into his sagging, anti-Iranian balloon. His Sunni allies in the region are indeed worried about the rising power and belligerency of Shi’ite Iran, but they also know that it was Bush’s war in Iraq that empowered Iran, and they are not sure they trust him to come up with a solution.
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41. Still Wrong in Afghanistan - Richard Holbrooke (Washington Post, January 23): President Hamid Karzai and much of the international community in Kabul have warned Bush that aerial spraying of poppy fields would create a backlash against the government and the Americans, and serve as a recruitment device for the Taliban while doing nothing to reduce the drug trade. This is no side issue: If the program continues to fail, success in Afghanistan will be impossible. LINK

42. In Kabul, Shattered Illusions - Jean MacKenzie (New York Times, January 24): Out of the billions that have supposedly come into Afghanistan, only a trickle has been used to good effect.
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43. A workable strategy - Harlan Ullman (Washington Times, January 23): “Winning” is not the correct goal in Afghanistan. However, making that region our top priority is.
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44. The Shah of Pakistan? Malou Innocent (Washington Post, January 24): The United States once earned the title of the “Great Satan” by propping up the Shah of Iran. We should not go down that same path by propping up the “Shah” of Pakistan, President Musharraf.
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45. A Pro for the Pakistani Army? Ashfaq Kiyani May Do What Pervez Musharraf Couldn’t – David Ignatius (Washington Post, January 24): The danger for Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, the Pakistani army’s new chief of staff, Kiyani is that, like Musharraf, he will be seen as so close to the United States that he will lose credibility in his own country. The stakes in Kiyani’s success could not be greater for the United States.
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46. Opinions Do Not Reflect Those of the Management - Al Kamen (Washington Post, January 23): Jay Lefkowitz—President Bush’s special envoy on North Korean human rights, or lack thereof—sure created a fuss last week when he said the Commie regime of Kim Jong Il isn’t serious about disarming and probably will still have nukes when a new president takes over, despite four years of six-party talks involving Washington, both Koreas, China, Japan and Russia.
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47. Slowly, but Surely, Pyongyang Is Moving - David Albright and Jacqueline Shire (Washington Post, January 24): There is no indication that North Korea is backing away from its commitments to disable key nuclear facilities and every reason to expect this process to unfold slowly, with North Korea taking small, incremental steps in return for corresponding steps from the United States and others in the six-party discussions
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48. NATO shows its age – Editorial (Boston Globe, January 23): Ever since the Cold War ended nearly two decades ago, the proper purpose and ground rules for the NATO alliance have been still up in the air, and the debate is unlikely to be resolved soon.
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49. Impunity in Sudan - Editorial (Los Angeles Times, January 23) : The U.N. must either stand up to the Sudanese thugs now or pack up its peacekeepers and go home.
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50. Tehran, Havana and Caracas – Editorial (Washington Times, January 23): One of the most troubling threats in America’s backyard is the emerging axis of Cuba’s Communist regime and the Iranian government, assisted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
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51. A Clinton twofer’s high price: Hillary Clinton’s campaign reminds us that her husband’s presidency looks good only when it’s compared to the Bush years - Rosa Brooks (Los Angeles Times, January 24): Under Clinton, the United States didn’t actively alienate huge swathes of the global population. But on foreign policy in particular, Clinton’s presidency was an era of missed opportunities.
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52. Trapped in the grid: Like electricity, the Web is everywhere and changes everything, says Nicholas Carr. But the one thing it can’t deliver is freedom - Scott Rosenberg (Salon, January 23): “Computer systems,” Nicholas Carr writes in his new book, “The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google,”, “are not at their core technologies of emancipation. They are technologies of control.”
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53. An Instrument of Influence [review of Hugh Wilford’s “The Mighty Wurlitzer"] - Gabriel Schoenfeld Wall Street Journal, January 24): From the 1930s to the 1950s, under the direct supervision of Joseph Stalin, Communist parties around the world set up “front groups”—organizations under their own control but not publicly affiliated with them—to advance the interests of the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of World War II, America’s fledgling CIA, seeking ways to counter Soviet influence in Europe and elsewhere, took a leaf from the adversary’s playbook, covertly funding individuals and organizations that would advance the fortunes of the Free World.
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paid subscription

54. Problems a-plenty on the listing ship of State – Patricia H. Kushlis (Whirled View, January 23): “I think the outdated hierarchical Foreign Service system which over-rewards a small caste of high-flying senior officers to the detriment of the rank-and-file should have been abolished years ago and replaced with a system that better fits today’s highly educated knowledge workers. ... The basic problem at State ... is the difficulty of changing the organization’s entrenched culture—but that’s what the department needs to do if it is to represent America’s interests abroad effectively and take care of employee needs.”
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55. Discussion - Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts (Reliable Source, Washington Post, January 23): Posted by: Diane, January 22, 2008 08:47 PM: “Condi Rice has set the tone in the State Department for dignified dressing. I would expect each of the people who work at the State Department to dress for their position in a style which is becoming and well-fitted.”
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56. Colombians Prepare Warm Welcome for Princess Diplomat – (Princess Sparkle Pony‘s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 24):
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57. Fun Lovin’ War Criminals -(Princess Sparkle Pony‘s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 23): A photo of Rice with Henry Kissinger.
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58. Reuters Condirazzi Stefan Wermuth: Shoe Fetishist or Just Bored? (Princess Sparkle Pony‘s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 23): Photo: The shoes of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as she crosses her legs following her key-note speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Davos January 23.
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59. Condi ‘n’ Micheline! - (Princess Sparkle Pony‘s Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza’s hairdo so you don’t have to, January 22): Photo: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shakes hands with Swiss Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey prior to a meeting at Zurich Airport in Kloten January 23.
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C) ONLY AT DAVOS?

60. Twist: Something in the Air? Attendees at Davos Can Follow Their Nose - Marc Champion (Wall Street Journal, January 23): This year the World Economic Forum asked a perfumer to scent the rooms where attendees meet to ponder the world. “Think of it as an air sculpture” that portrays certain messages and interpretations, says the 38-year-old Mr. Laudamiel, senior perfumer at Manhattan-based International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., who developed fragrances specially to match the Forum themes for the year. Different rooms get different perfumes. One gets a “Glacier” scent, tribute to the shrinking polar ice cap. Others get “Happiness,” “Gigabyte” (to inspire high-tech thoughts and optimism), “Swiss Heights” (for Davos), “Magnolia and Sage,” and organic “Lavender Fields.”
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D) MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

“First Lad”

--What Bill Clinton’s position would be if spouse Hillary is elected US president; cited in Maureen Dowd, “Two Against One” (New York Times, January 23)
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“Bush Doctrine 1.0 was Unipolar Realism (3/7/99--9/10/01); Bush Doctrine 2.0 was With Us or Against Us (9/11/01--5/31/02); Bush Doctrine 3.0 was Preemption (6/1/02--11/5/03); Bush Doctrine 4.0 was Democracy in the Middle East (11/6/03--1/19/05); Bush Doctrine 5.0 was Freedom Everywhere (1/20/05-- 11/7/06); and Bush Doctrine 6.0, 11/8/06 to date, is the ‘absence of any functioning doctrine at all.’”

--Dan Froomkin, citing a passage from Jacob Weisberg’s new book, “The Bush Tragedy”; in “Markets Vote ‘No’ on Bush” (washingtonpost.com, January 22)
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