September 17

"I want a man like Putin, who's full of strength. I want a man like Putin, who doesn't drink. I want a man like Putin, who won't make me sad."

--"A Man Like Putin," the Russian prime minister's theme song played at his rallies; image from

VIDEOS

Vladimir Putin's pop propaganda theme song - Boing Boing

Hilarious Vichy Propaganda: Mickey bombing France - marketswift.com

Fox News' Latest Anti-"Mosque" Propaganda: The 9/11 Body Map - tv.gawker.com

EVENTS

Summit Schedule of events (November 16-November 19, 2010): U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy

Event: exploring an independent public diplomacy / strategic communication organization - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is convening a non-partisan public diplomacy initiative next week, co-chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense William Perry.


The initiative will bring together a broad coalition of high-level experts, practitioners, including members from the corporate and foundation sectors, the think-tank and academic communities, and the Congress, to develop a business plan for the new organization to provide sustained, innovative, and high quality private sector support for US public diplomacy; and identify public and private sources of funding. Image from

Event: Influence and Propaganda Conference [October 13-15] - MountainRunner.us: The Information Operations Institute, in partnership with the MountainRunner Institute, invites you to attend the Influence and Fighting Propaganda Conference.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Call for tweets: today's BBG meeting at 10am-noon EDT (1400-1600 UTC) - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "The Broadcasting Board of Governors will meet today, Friday, 17 September, at 10 am to noon EDT, or 1400-1600 UTC. It will be the first webcast BBG meeting.

Links to live and on-demand video are available at the home page of www.bbg.gov. I'll be watching and posting a few notes to my Twitter account, @kaedotcom. Even if you do not have a Twitter account, you can 'follow' at twitter.com/kaedotcom, refreshing the page occasionally. If you are watching the meeting and want to (if you'll excuse the expression) tweet about it, let's use the hashtag #bbgmtg." Image from

A New Public Diplomacy Initiative: Send the GOP to the Arab World - bernardfinel.com: "A major problem is our failure to think carefuly about public diplomacy. We continue to see PD instrumentally. But as a practical matter it need to feed into the policy process rather than just being an instrument that is deployed to sell policy. PD should, instead, provide inputs into a disciplined cost-benefit calculation of various courses of action. Instead it is use as an ex post salve to try to mitigate the consequences of our choices. ... A few years ago I suggested that we may be in a situation where less is more as far as public diplomacy and strategic engagement in the Arab world. There comes a point where the best course of action is simply to agree to disagree, acknowledge that deep divisions over policy preferences exist and leave it at that. I am not sure that our outreach effort are actually mitigatory in any particular way. Instead, I think they continually open us up to the charge that we’re either hypocrites or deceitful. ... The most effective public diplomacy effort might be send Republicans to the Arab world to explain how the president has a 'Kenyan, anti-colonial mindset' and how he hates Israel. At the very least, it would be an interesting spectacle."

Democracy for Kids at LC Karachi - Lincoln Corners, Partners In Public Diplomacy: A Blog From The Participants Of The Ivlp Program 2009 Organized By Department Of State: "On International Day of Democracy, The coordinator briefed the children about LCK-resources & activities.

He shared the democracykids.org web presentation with kids, highlighting the main ingredients that makes democracy work, facts of congress like early congress, dealing with diversity, passing laws, citizen participation, Legislators & their duties etc. The children were brainstormed about the role of individuals, representatives, and how to advocate for their rights." Image from article

Public Diplomacy and Counterterrorism - Philip Seib, Huffington Post: "[R]ather than overly relying on drones and special ops, which are appropriate only for the top levels of the pyramid, counterterrorism should be broadened to take advantage of the assets of public diplomacy. By reaching those at the base of the pyramid before they are radicalized to the point of violence, public diplomacy efforts could reduce the appeal of terrorists' propaganda. This will require a rethinking of public diplomacy strategy, with less emphasis on 'love us' public relations efforts and more on projects that directly shape individuals' thinking and affect their lives. This should incorporate a range of public diplomacy activities, including a significant expansion of current digital engagement projects in which constructive voices participate in Internet discussion forums and influence the tone and substance of online rhetoric. More important will be initiatives that target specific needs, ranging from job training to water supply, which will more closely link public diplomacy and aid programs."

RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, to the Afghanistan/Pakistan frontier, expands from 6 to 9 hours a day - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.

VOA takes one from the right. RFE/RL takes one from the left - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting; image from



Diplomacy 2.0 team: in-house or out-sourced - Diplomarketing: A new era for Public diplomacy on social media: "Diplomacy deals with fragile information both on the communications front as when it comes to strategic thinking and planning, all demanding a high clearance level. In addition, are bloggers, social media sponsored conversation affiliates, or even the best social media marketer in town know how to 'talk diplomacy'?"

The Pragmatists - Laura McGinnis, MANic: "Last night I was thumbing through AU professor (and sometime consultant, advisor, director, fellow and diplomat) Robert Pastor's chapter on U.S. foreign policy in A Century's Journey. Full disclosure: This wasn't casual bedtime reading. I'm in his class. ... Pastor suggests that the United States has frequently been more committed to Wilsonian rhetoric

than Wilsonian action, an inconsistency that could undermine PD efforts abroad." Image from

Speech by Secretary of State Grube at the seminar "40 years of Training Finnish Diplomats" - formin.finland.fi: "A ... fundamental change we have experienced during the last decades is the internationalization of the public sector in our countries. In 1970 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a de facto monopoly on the implementation of Danish foreign policy. This has changed. Today the Prime Minister’s Office is playing a central role. This is the case all over the world. And in countries like Finland and Denmark most other ministries have established international divisions and departments. This is a trend that is partly – but not only – the result of our EU membership. And now we are experiencing a development where also regional and local authorities are playing an increasing role on the international level. ... [G]lobalization and the revolution in information technology have made it much easier for non-governmental actors to influence the decision-making process both within countries and across borders. Therefore we must enhance our dialogue with the media, NGO’s, businesspeople etc. if we wish to maximize our influence. Likewise we have to embrace and use the opportunities that the new information technology gives us through the internet, the new social media etc. We have of course always done this kind of public diplomacy work but the importance – and cost - of this task is growing."

Bring the Truth Out - Pragmatic Euphony: "Public diplomacy continues to remain a neglected field in the deeply-entrenched archaic ways of the Indian government. The latest example of this failure is Kashmir

where the Indian government is on the losing end in this battle of shaping the public narrative. This failure of public diplomacy is shaping incorrect perceptions and attitudes in local and global audiences about the Kashmir issue, as well as giving ammunition to India’s adversaries, including the Kashmiri separatists, in the struggle for minds and wills of the affected populace." Image from

Shema Diplomacy; Answer us - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "A reminder that Public Diplomacy is truly a blessed endeavor. As we were going into the introductions of the Yom Kippur crowd, I got in to some friendly banter with the Rabbi. At a point, I couldn't hear him, so I cupped my hand to my ear. He said that was very good. We are taught that the most important thing in Judaism is to listen, hence why our most holy prayer begins 'Shema,' the command to listen. We are also taught on day one of the public diplomac'y program that the most vital component of PD is to listen."

Demonstration of sincerity matters in public diplomacy - Matt Armstrong, Mountainrunnber.US: " When I come across a statement about 'winning the hearts and minds' of this or that group, I usually roll my eyes because the phrase is usually being tossed out without regard to underlying requirements or even reality. ... Infrequently ascribed to public diplomacy is the other side of the coin: the adversary. The purpose of public diplomacy is to highlight the incongruities in the adversary’s words and deeds. ... [John Brown Response]


Hi Matt, As always a pleasure to read your blog. Regarding you eye spasm caused by the statement that 'sincerity is what matters most in public diplomacy,' perhaps this aphorism by de La Rochefoucauld could be an at least temporary cure for what ails you: 'hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.' Re your '[t]he purpose of public diplomacy is to highlight the incongruities in the adversary’s words and deeds,' I would only comment that it is somewhat too narrowly focused and a minor element (in my view as a former PD practitioner) in what I consider the best and most important of public diplomacy, which is truthfully to tell the world about America and expand international understanding. May I refer to the article you were kind enough to mention in your blog, 'Public Diplomacy and Propaganda: Their Differences.' Thank you for all you are doing to highlight the importance of public diplomacy in international relations. Best wishes, John.'" Image from

bMS quizzes, chats, micro-blogging & the battle against HIV/AIDS - conversationsforabetterworld.com: "Anoush Rima Tatevossian is Director of Projects and Partnerships at MobileActive.org – the leading global network and clearinghouse on the use of mobile technology for social impact. MobileActive.org provides field consulting, conducts research, and connects people online and through participatory events, to demystify and advance the use of mobiles for NGOs and civil society. Anoush Rima holds a Master's degree in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California, has experience consulting on communications and cultural relations with various international organizations, and previously worked as the Executive Director of the Armenian Volunteer Corps, a grassroots development NGO."

No margarita left behind - Life Through These Eyes: "I moved to L.A. one month ago today. Sometimes, it feels like I’ve been here a lot longer than that… What’s crazy is that I still feel like a tourist to this day. There is still so much I have not seen or done and I discover a little more about this place as I go. So one month ago, I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my… I’m just kidding, I’m not actually going to quote that song.

But on my first day in L.A., I was filled with so many emotions all at once; fear, anticipation, excitement, doubt… you know, the usual I’m sure, when someone moves from little ol’ Kentucky to a place like L.A. I picked up the key to my furniture-less apartment (a two-bedroom shared with another awesome Annenberg student) conveniently located near campus and instantly missed my family and comfort back home. That last part is so unlike me if you really know me. The next few days consisted of orientation with the other first-year public diplomacy students, getting lost a lot and slowly furnishing the apartment. I’m not going to bore you with the small details of my settling in since then, so let’s just fast forward to today." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

It Takes a Village to Raise a School - Dana Burde, New York Times: Many nongovernmental organizations have been promoting schooling without school buildings as the best strategy to increase enrollment quickly in the poorest rural areas of the country. Thousands of these community-based education programs, housed in existing community structures, are bringing education to girls and boys across the country. According to a report released by CARE last fall, there has been only one recorded physical attack on such a community-based school. Yet these schools have received little attention. Most attention and money has gone to the “Three Cups of Tea” strategy of constructing schools. While shiny new schools make for great photo ops, they are very expensive and some provide the Taliban with easy targets. In the short term, we should de-emphasize that approach in favor of more flexible, cost-effective approaches in community-based education.

New Report on Chinese Foreign Policy Making - Robin, Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: September 16, 2010 The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute have just issued a report on New Foreign Policy Actors in China.

This is mainly concerned with the interaction between state, party and military in shaping foreign policy but it also gives attention to other actors including the news media and internet enabled public opinion. This all points to the growing complexity of the policy process in the People’s Republic. Image from

Brand Africa Launches in Johannesburg - shout-africa.com: South Africa: Global economist Dambisa Moyo and nation branding guru Simon Anholt are among the 14 global thought leaders and decision makers scheduled for the inaugural Brand Africa Forum 2010. Brand Africa, a new African initiative to drive the continent’s reputation, image and competitiveness, will be launched on Thursday 16 September 2010 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

"20th Century Propaganda" Wins Nt'l Collegiate Book Collecting Contest - Andrew Fink, a student at the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA),


has won First Prize in the 2010 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest for An Interdisciplinary Survey of 20th Century Propaganda. Image from article

Bioshock Infinite Art Concept Of Propaganda - softsailor.com: Irrational Games has just released brand new artwork for their upcoming sequel Infinite from the BioShock series. Each one reminds you a bit of a Norman Rockwell painting, and the coverage is a tease before the October issue is released. Some of the artwork, especially the “Daddy” one, may look familar to you and the twist Irrational has put on each is not only a bit of cheeky fun, but also gives you a sense of what’s happening in Columbia.

AMERICANA

$60,000 a speech

--What General McChrystal earns on the lecture circuit; image from