June 16-18

"It seems that everybody knows what public diplomacy is, but indeed nobody knows."

--The Angriest Black Man in America; image from

NEW BOOK

Hard Diplomacy and Soft Coercion: Russia's Influence Abroad [by James Sherr, Chatham House] - June 2013: "During the Cold War, Soviet in­fluence and Leninist ideology were inseparable. But the collapse of both systems threw Russian influence into limbo.

In this book, James Sherr draws on his in-depth study of the country over many years to explain and analyse the factors that have brought Russian influence back into play. Today, Tsarist, Soviet and contemporary approaches combine in creative and discordant ways. The result is a policy based on a mixture of strategy, improvisation and habit. The novelty of this policy and its apparent successes pose possible dangers for Russia’s neighbours, the West and Russia itself." Image from entry

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Bottom Line Diplomacy: Why Public Diplomacy Matters - Remarks, Tara Sonenshine, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, June 18, 2013 - U.S. Department of State: "Bottom line diplomacy isn’t about reducing everything to how much it costs. It’s the opposite. It’s about expanding our perspective so we see – and reap – the long term benefits for our own citizens. In other words, bottom line diplomacy is the fusion of economic statecraft and public diplomacy. ... I will miss my work at the State Department where, on any given day, the breadth and depth of our capabilities are palpable. Secretary Kerry emerging from a bilateral meeting with a world leader.

Students from Libya, Tunisia, or Egypt, or religious scholars from Chad visiting my office [.] Community leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean meeting with Department officials to look for ways to improve the safety of all citizens in our hemisphere. Translators delivering our messages to Arab, Chinese, Urdu, Russian and other audiences. Regional bureaus communicating with embassies around the world. Experts communicating with critical audiences around the world via video feeds and CO.NX links. The message is clear: We are proactive and responsive in the fast-breaking, constantly evolving global conversation of the 21st century – and we are not stopping." Image from

Saudi American Educational and Cultural Initiative Grant - grants.gov: "The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now accepting proposals for a new grant called the Saudi-American Educational and Cultural Initiative Grants (SAECIG) and is for Saudi and U.S. non-governmental and community organizations, universities, entrepreneurs, cultural organizations or qualified individuals who propose to work together to develop or expand educational, professional and cultural exchange activities and promote dialogue and partnership between the people of the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The new grant will support innovative forms of collaboration to expand the diversity of activities in the U.S.-Saudi partnership and develop the next generation of leaders, especially among youth, young professionals and women, and to promote mutual understanding and respect through long-term partnership and cooperation between our two countries. ... Estimated Total Program Funding: $250,000." Image from

Russia Duped Kerry on Syria - James Sherr, Moscow Times: "The April 15 Boston Marathon bombing gave credence to two key themes of Russian public diplomacy: Russia and the U.S. face a common enemy. The Chechens and al-Qaida are one and the same. Obama's brief meeting on May 22 with Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev demonstrated the degree to which the U.S. president has internalized these conclusions. The problem is that they are being strained at operational level. The FSB's arrest of U.S. diplomat Ryan Fogle on May 14 is the latest indication that the CIA feels it has been gulled by the FSB on the Tsarnaev brothers and has begun to pound the pavement in search of real intelligence. Russia is determined that these efforts not succeed." See also Ken Jensen, "Cui Bono? Vladimir Vladimirovich?"

How to identify CIA limited hangout op? - Webster Griffin Tarpley, presstv.ir: "The operations of secret intelligence agencies aiming at the manipulation of public opinion generally involve a combination of cynical deception with the pathetic gullibility of the targeted populations. There is ample reason to believe that the case of Edward Joseph Snowden fits into this pattern. We are likely dealing here with a limited hangout operation, in which carefully selected and falsified documents and other materials are deliberately revealed by an insider who pretends to be a fugitive rebelling against the excesses of some oppressive or dangerous government agency. But the revelations turn out to have been prepared with a view to shaping the public consciousness in a way which is advantageous to the intelligence agency involved.

At the same time, gullible young people can be duped into supporting a personality cult of the leaker, more commonly referred to as a 'whistleblower.' A further variation on the theme can be the attempt of the sponsoring intelligence agency to introduce their chosen conduit, now posing as a defector, into the intelligence apparatus of a targeted foreign government. In this case, the leaker or whistleblower attains the status of a triple agent. ... Another suspicious and tell-tale endorsement for Snowden comes from the former State Department public diplomacy asset Norman Solomon. Interviewed on RT, Solomon warmly embraced the Snowden Project and assured his viewers that the NSA material dished up by the Hong Kong defector used reliable and authentic. Solomon was notorious ten years ago as a determined enemy of 9/11 truth, acting as a border guard in favor of the Bush administration/neocon theory of terrorism." Image from

Samantha Power: The Quintessential ‘Blame America First’-er - allfiredupmedia.com: "Samantha Power’s alarming transnationalism is also expressed in her enthusiasm for the U.S. to redistribute its wealth to less developed nations, as envisioned in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. Power’s reflexive willingness to run down her country as a cheapskate when it comes to foreign assistance ignores our generous underwriting of the United Nations and the unmatched magnanimousness of the American people through private charity. Particularly illuminating is her insistence that we must aid – and although unsaid here, for that matter, intervene militarily on behalf of – countries as long as we have no interest in them: 'I think the United States must change its relationship to the Millennium Development Goals. It would make an enormous difference practically and in terms of public diplomacy if we were not second-to-last among rich countries in giving aid away; if we were giving money away, investing in societies that actually don’t have anything to do with our national security. The instances where we make sacrifices strictly in order to benefit other people are so few and far between. Even our democracy rhetoric is so rooted in a story about security and how non-democracies become threats and so on.' (Interview with the one-worlder organization Citizens for Global Solutions - See more at: http://allfiredupmedia.com/2013/06/samantha-power-the-quintessential-blame-america-first-er/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=samantha-power-the-quintessential-blame-america-first-er#sthash.EXosrhny.dpuf."

John Paul Jones: American Cossack - Emma Hutchins, Public Diplomacy Intern, usembassykyiv.wordpress.com: "Many American students are familiar with the legendary U.S. Naval Officer John Paul Jones, whose daring bravery during the American Revolution has often captured the attention of textbooks and the imaginations of schoolchildren. However, beyond his role as one of the 'Fathers of the United States Navy,' John Paul Jones was involved in a number of international naval battles, including the Battle of Liman, where he fought with the Russian Imperial Navy alongside Ukrainian Cossacks against an Ottoman fleet.

On June 16-17, U.S. Ambassador John F. Tefft visited Ochakiv and Kherson, respectively, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of John Paul Jones’s induction into the Cossack Brotherhood after the battle." Image from entry

FBI names former USC professor to list of most wanted fugitives: Walter Lee Williams faces charges of sexual exploitation of children abroad, the agency says. He taught anthropology, gender studies and history - "The author and

Fulbright Award winner received several accolades for his work, including the USC General Education Outstanding Teacher Award in 2006. He was also recognized for his work with the gay and lesbian community." Image from article, with caption: Former USC professor Walter Lee Williams faces charges of sexual exploitation of children overseas.

Cultural diplomacy's 'strange truths': With few books and fewer patrons, Turkmen library surprises UI writers - Christopher Merrill, uiowa.edu: "The beauty of cultural diplomacy: we learn strange truths; dispel stereotypes and correct misimpressions; meet one another on common ground, this time in a library. ... Christopher Merrill, director of the UI International Writing Program, traveled with fellow writers to Turkmenistan in May on an IWP reading tour.

Organized each spring in partnership with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the tours are designed to introduce American writers to a country or region with a relatively sparse history of literary liaisons with the United States and strengthen ties between creative communities.Turkmenistan hosts only 7,000 tourists a year, making it one of the world’s least visited places (behind even Afghanistan and North Korea)." Merrill image from entry

Voice of America English website posts a one-sided report on Turkey - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com: "The U.S. taxpayer-funded Voice of America (VOA) English news website has posted Sunday a one-sided and incomplete report on the protests in Turkey and the Turkish government’s violent response to these protests. The VOA English report failed to note that pro-government rallies of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s supporters are carefully staged with party loyalist being bussed to a gathering point while peaceful anti-government protesters face tear gas and water cannons.

The report possibly also overestimated the number of pro-government rally participants and had very little information about much larger spontaneous anti-government demonstrations, their violent suppression by the police, and the specific issues behind the protests. This kind of superficial reporting angers pro-democracy protesters and damages U.S. public diplomacy. Turkish protesters are already angry with the local mainstream Turkish media for practicing self-censorship. It appears that VOA English service has no reporter on the ground in Turkey. The Voice of America English Central Newsroom has been drastically scaled down in recent years by officials of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) who have been expanding the bureaucracy and technologies at the expense of programs and journalistic positions. IBB managers have been repeatedly rated in the official Office of Personnel M anagement (OPM) Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys as being some of the worst in the federal government." Image from article, with caption: VOA English website screen shot.

American and Iranian Relations After Ahmedinejad - Eric M. Tope, securityobserver.org: "The primary focus of this article is Iran’s interest in nuclear research for military application, however it is noteworthy that many have concluded Iran’s nuclear activities are at least partially motivated by energy concerns. As much as 80% of Iran’s foreign currency is derived from oil exports and in one observer’s words, 'Due to the depletion of its oil resources and the desire to remain a strategic oil and gas exporter, Iran feels an urgent need to develop nuclear energy. The current tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program could ease if Tehran were to adopt a three-pronged strategy: normalizing its nuclear file through greater cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); carrying out cost/benefit analyses for its nuclear industry; and using public diplomacy more effectively to present its intentions and performance. See: Abbas Maleki, 'Iran’s Islamic Revolution and its Future,'Payvand News, 2, Nov. 2009.'"

Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher - Alpher, peacenow.org: "[T]he impending exit of outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad deprives Israel of an extraordinary public diplomacy tool: it's much easier to direct international anger

and suspicion at a Holocaust denier and a primitive loudmouth. Rowhani with his six languages and cosmopolitanism will make life harder for Netanyahu. But he might just make life easier for all of us. Let's wait, guardedly, and see." Rowhani image from entry

He’s No ‘Moderate’: Iran picks a new leader to read from the same script. - Lee Smith, Weekly Standard: "Aside from the fact that Iran’s English-language television station Press TV calls him a moderate, what exactly, in the eyes of the West, makes him one? After all, former president Muhammad Khatami labeled his public diplomacy campaign a 'dialogue of civilizations,' which played right into Western ideas of tolerance and moderation. But Rouhani has nothing similar in his past."

Rouhani Victory Pushes Back Israeli Strike On Iran Another Year - jewsnews.co.il: "Iran’s mullahs may have rigged last Friday’s presidential election in order to present a moderate face to the world. The goal? To engage in further stalling tactics (otherwise known as 'diplomacy') and continue to build its nuclear program. This serves Iran’s purposes, but it also aids Western leaders, who have no real will to stop the Iranian nuclear program. ... So as Iran advances its program to build a nuclear bomb, Western nations will no doubt engage in public diplomacy. And Israel will bide its time, waiting for the right moment to strike."

Canada’s brave new world of digital diplomacy: Is Canada's digital outreach to Iranians diplomacy, propaganda or subversion? - Natalie Brende, thestar.com: "The official position from Ottawa is that while bilateral relations between the Canadian and Iranian governments are suspended, relations between Canada and the Iranian people continue unabated. For that reason, our government is at pains to emphasize that this digital outreach to Iranian citizens is part of the high and honourable practice of diplomacy. 'Direct diplomacy,' 'digital diplomacy' or 'public diplomacy' have all been labels used for it. One Foreign Affairs diplomat tweeted proudly of the 'new model of diplomacy' shown in the venture, while another insisted it was just another tool in the 21st-centurey [sic] diplomatic tool box.

However, a Globe and Mail article last week called the experiment 'anti-diplomacy,' and quoted Munk School director Janice Stein drawing a distinction between this project and the 'diplomatic relationship' with Iran being pursued by other nations. Why do these nuances of naming matter? Because the venture opens the door to a world of potential campaigns by governments to forge digital contacts with citizens of other countries for political ends. No one can predict what directions those will take in years ahead. If and when such outreach is ever conducted by a hostile foreign government against Canadians, it won’t be labelled diplomacy but something much less high-toned, such as propaganda or subversion. ... Imagine a rising Asian superpower eager to show Westerners that their governments’ economic system and freedoms are fallible. Imagine it pulling off a massive manipulation of our online shopping or banking or government service accounts, with the aim of letting Canadians ‘assert their freedoms’ against companies, banks or government. And imagine that country doing so under the label of ‘public diplomacy’ or ‘digital diplomacy’—as a way of reaching out to us in Canada, over the protests of our government, in order to sway our sympathies and political energies in a direction favorable to its own interests. The scenario may sound far-fetched, but it’s likely to happen some day in some form. ... We must recognize ... that Canada’s venture is opening up a brave new world of diplomacy that will lead in unforeseeable directions – potentially, one day, to our own government’s danger and dismay." Image from

Political Lying and Syria - Karl Naylor, karl-naylor.blogspot.com: "The only conclusion to be drawn from William Hague's consistent 'public diplomacy', on the British government being able to safely supply the 'right rebels' with weapons that won't fall into the 'wrong' hands, is that he is either divorced from reality or is willingly taking colossal risks."

A Pain in the Butt  - myrightword.blogspot.com: "Naftali Bennett was a guest speaker at the Yesha Council annual Public Diplomacy conference: Here is Haaretz: [‘]Idea of a two-state solution has reached 'dead end,' Bennett says [.]Economy minister says Israel must stop trying to solve the problem and 'live with it;' likens Palestinian problem to shrapnel injury in the backside; [‘] Since I was present, I think a bit of clarification is required regarding this.

What he actually said [and now, here's the video, in Hebrew] was that many ask 'what can be done to solve the conflict? and there are some conflicts that are nigh impossible, if at all to solve.  but still people press us Israelis and in this situation one has to make a choice'." Image from

China, Japan, South Korea Trilateral Cooperation: Implications for Northeast Asian Politics and Order - Andrew Yeo, isn.ethz.ch: "Despite historical animosities and well-documented territorial disputes, trilateral cooperation

between Northeast Asia’s dominant states is gaining momentum. The cooperation ... will complement existing US bilateral ties rather than challenge them. ... Trilateral cooperation took another step toward institutionalization at the 2010 meeting when South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak proposed establishing a secretariat for trilateral cooperation. In addition to providing administrative support and secretarial services for various trilateral consultative mechanisms, the secretariat would explore new agendas for cooperation and actively engage in public diplomacy. The new Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) opened in Seoul on September 2011." Image from

Cash crunch hits cultural diplomacy - Devirupa Mitra, newindianexpress.com: The country’s primary cultural diplomacy agency is suffering from a funds crunch and faces the ignominy of scaling down events at a prestigious European fete, which focuses on India, even as it puts on hold expansion plans for Indian cultural centres abroad. 'The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is in danger of closing down activities if it does not get additional funds,' ICCR Director General Suresh Goel told Express. The ICCR, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has been India’s primary instrument for cultural diplomacy since 1950. But, for the last couple of years, it has seen funds trim drastically. Earlier this year, the ICCR officials got a nasty shock when the Union Budget did not allocate funds for the Europalia Festival 2013, which focuses on India. Europalia is a biennial international arts festival in Brussels, that invites a single country and showcases its cultural heritage. ... Not surprisingly, ambitious plans to open 10 new cultural centres abroad have been put on hold. 'We can’t pay for existing centres, so it will be difficult to consider opening new centres now,' the official said. Indian cultural centres abroad have already been told to cut down on organising events and the ICCR has also reduced the number of cultural troupes being sent abroad."

Book Review : A record of India-Pakistan interactions [Book Review: India-Pakistan Relations, 1947-2007: A Documentary Study Author: Avtar Singh Bhasin Publisher: New Delhi: Geetika Publishers; 2012] --  Ishtiaq Ahmed, dailytimes.com.pk: "The publication of a massive 9062-page, 10-volume work, India-Pakistan Relations, 1947-2007: A Documentary Study by Avtar Singh Bhasin, who retired after a three-decade long career in the Indian External Ministry, is a work of outstanding merit produced with a passion and devotion that would elicit respect and admiration from anyone who has worked with the tiresome and frustrating task of sifting, selecting, categorisation and classification of documents.

States enjoy almost a monopoly over the maintenance of the written record of events, past and present, and without such primary sources the study of politics and history is handicapped. The author has brought forward reports, including top secret intelligence ones, written by Indian high commissioners in Pakistan. The documentary study has been conducted in cooperation with the Public Diplomacy Division of the Indian External Ministry. When states begin to make public classified documents, it is indicative of growing confidence and transparency." Image from entry

Sri Lanka: Unified control of foreign and  national security policy -  Daya Gamage - Asian Tribune: "Sri Lanka's defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa's address at the Kotelawala Defense University on his nation's 'National Security Concerns' delivered 13 June has raised a significant issue: the need for combined control of Sri Lanka's foreign and national security policy at a single center. Or under a single authority. ... The secretary is well aware that the areas of foreign interference and developments overseas are not within the purview of his portfolio, nevertheless his references to global activities of secessionist Tamil Diaspora underscoring their lobbying maneuvers over INGOs and foreign policymakers/decision makers connect well to domestic national security issues and concerns.

Addressing those external concerns is the sole responsibility of the ministry of external affairs, and mishandling of those issues such as the failure of public diplomacy and strategic communication allowing secessionist Tamil Diaspora movements to define Sri Lanka complicates the 'unified, single framework' that Secretary Rajapaksa is advocating with the integration of the nation's 'defense, law and order, foreign policy and economic policy'. ... Using public diplomacy and strategic communication to bring an end to the cohabitation between the secessionist Tamil Diaspora elements and western policymakers and lawmakers has become an urgent need when Mr. Rajapaksa, in his address, connected that unfulfilled task to an imminent threat to Sri Lanka's national security. The failure of devising a protracted overseas public diplomacy campaign immediately after the demise of the LTTE to bring Western lawmakers and policy wonks in line with Sri Lanka's post-war rebuilding/rehabilitation efforts gave rise to secessionist elements strategically maneuvering to influence the West. Secretary Rajapaksa very eloquently placed facts about these Global eelamist groups who had a free ride in the name of human rights unchecked by those who handled external affairs for Sri Lanka." Image from article, with caption: Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressing Kotelawala Defense University June 13

Hongqi H7 as official vehicle for foreign minister - china.org.cn: "Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi now rides a Chinese made car, the official microblog of the public diplomacy office of the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. The official has chosen to use the Hongqi H7 sedan as his official vehicle, a move unusual for Chinese diplomats who normally drive foreign cars.

The Hongqi H7 sedan was launched in China on May 30 this year, competing head-to-head with foreign manufacturers such as Audi, and Mercedes in the luxury car market. China FAW Group Corporation took four years to produce the Hongqi H7, a project costing over 5.2 billion yuan (about 850million US dollars), chinanews.com reports. Hongqi is China's first domestically produced sedan. The make was the official car for top leaders including Chairman Mao Zedong, and state guests since the 1960s." Hongqi H7 sedan image from entry

Precious Afghanistan heritage reclaimed: A Melbourne exhibition of Afghan treasures is a remarkable affirmation of a troubled land's ancient culture and a tribute to the people who saved them - Sue Green,
scmp.com: "Afghanistan – once a vital trading hub on the legendary Silk Road, a land Venetian explorer Marco Polo wrote of as rich with gold and gems – now stars on the television news as a scene of destruction. But it is also the subject of an extensive exhibition at the Melbourne Museum, one featuring golden artefacts so priceless the Australian government is paying the insurance

bill and its value is a well-kept secret. It is a superbly presented exhibition, curated by a man with his own astonishing story to tell about the rediscovery of these treasures: archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, a National Geographic Fellow. The collection is showcased in an innovative display created in Melbourne. ... Staging the exhibition drew strong federal government support because of 'the opportunity for people in Australia to see a different side of Afghanistan but also in terms of public diplomacy between this country and Afghanistan with Australia’s participation in the war and reconstruction efforts there', Greene [the museum’s chief executive Patrick Greene] says. Image from article, with caption: an enamelled glass beaker

Garden party guests savor tastes of Italy [scroll down link for item] - Mike Peters, China Daily: Argentina's ambassador Gustavo Martino and Xie Yuan, vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, introduced Jia Lin and Peng Danyang

as the winners of the first China Argentine Tango Championship earlier this month at the Public Diplomacy and Culture Exchange Center. The duo won tickets to travel to Buenos Aires in August to participate in the international competition Tango Buenos Aires Mundial 2013.

New Book on French Scientific and Cultural Diplomacy…in English - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "I get quite a lot of hits on the blog from people searching for material on France so I’m pleased to be able to draw your attention to a new publication from Liverpool University Press, French Scientific and Cultural Diplomacy by Philippe Lane. ‘Lane is Professor of French Linguistics at Rouen University and is currently seconded to the French Foreign Ministry as Cultural Counsellor to the French Embassy in Jordan.’ This was originally published in French as Présence française dans le monde: L’action culturelle et scientifique (I’ve no idea why cultural and scientific have changed places as they cross the channel) [.] Before you rush over to Amazon to buy a copy a word of warning. Rather than an academic study this is in the vein of an official discussion; it has forewords by Foreign Minister and the head of the Institute [sic] Française. It deals with the recent changes in the organization of French cultural diplomacy such as the creation of the Institute Française. What it doesn’t do is put the changes in a historical or comparative context or really explain or justify the underpinning assumptions."

Why projecting soft power is so hard to do - Nicholas J. Cull, russia-direct.org: "The theory of soft power, as articulated by Joseph Nye, rests on the notion that admirable culture and attractive values can be harnessed to the ends of foreign policy as power. His book 'Soft Power' (2004) was subtitled 'The Means to Success in World Politics.' The problem is that the quest for success is not itself value neutral: a nation that is too obvious in the way it uses soft power to advance its own ends can end up repelling rather than attracting. ... Countries too eager to embrace soft power can come off like the stereotypical Don Juan, whose powers of attraction eventually taught women to be wary. Others, overconfident in their positive qualities, choose the wrong aspect to emphasize and end up the butt of jokes. In the context of soft power, this mockery is leveled against countries whose public diplomacy degenerates into propaganda. A further problem stems from a divergence in tastes in what is considered attractive. Soft power – like beauty – is in the eye of the beholder. The same tactics don’t work in every context. For example, the soft power of the United States is rooted in an identification of its culture with the sovereignty of the individual; in contrast, Russia presents itself as guardian of the principle of the sovereignty of the nation-state. ... In the final analysis, soft power lies in the allure one person feels for another. And this is why the most enduring soft power strategies have been those founded on people-to-people exchanges. Despite all the efforts of a state government to control its image through a soft power campaign, in the end it comes down to winning the hearts and minds of individuals – something that cannot be ordered from the top down." See also.

W5: Real-Time Diplomacy Challenges (And Benefits) - Kim Starfield, AU Public Diplomacy Group 4: "As diplomats continue to do their work and strategize, the role of the public has been allowed to expand through real-time media outlets, and diplomats therefore must bring the public into their work, making 'public diplomacy' more important than ever."

Tulsa Global Alliance Meeting Strengthens International Communication - ktul.com: "Hundreds gathered at the Tulsa Global Alliance to strengthen international communication. Dr. Jami Fullerton is a professor at Oklahoma State University and was the keynote speaker of Monday's "Propaganda, Promotion or Public Diplomacy? How U.S. Government Sponsored Global Media Campaigns Change Attitudes Toward America" speech. Topics included how the government influences audiences abroad and also how other nations form opinions of America. 'It's important

to come together and talk about these issues,' Dr. Fullerton says. 'The U.S., and even Tulsa, is part of a bigger community, and it's important to us to reach out to our global neighbors and encourage understanding, and, hopefully, we will get along better.' Tulsa Global Alliance's goal is hosting international visitors and improving Tulsa's relationships with other cities around the nation. Dr. Fullerton's current research program is focused on mediated public diplomacy efforts since 9/11." Image from entry

This summer discover diplomacy - Anca Ştefana Ciolacu, blogunteer.ro: During the period 25 to 31 July , the UN Youth Association of Romania will organize the third edition of the Summer School on Diplomacy . Event " Summer School - New Perspectives on Diplomacy "will bring together 50 students from home and abroad and will be held in institutions such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest. ... theoretical module will include the following seminars: What do we mean by Diplomacy? Traditional and Modern Diplomacy Diplomacy Public Diplomacy Cultural Diplomacy."

Amplifying Government: The Role of the News Media in Diplomacy - Katherine Brown, cgcsblog.asc.upenn.edu: "I argue ... that the U.S.’s narrative-setting power is limited among global publics– especially in countries where U.S. foreign policy has a serious impact. ... Katherine Brown is a Ph.D. Candidate in Communications at Columbia University and an Instructor at their School of International and Public Affairs. Her research examines the interplay

of news media and international relations, and public diplomacy policy. Professionally, Katherine’s served on the editorial staff for Bloomberg News; as a Professional Staff Member at the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the U.S. House of Representatives; as a Communications Adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul; and as an assistant to the U.S. National Security Adviser. She has an M.A. and M.Phil. in Communications from Columbia." Image from

June 16th - life through my eyes From Africa to New Beginnings - tiatour2011.wordpress.com: "So I want to end this blog post with a few things that I have been blessed with this year: A closer family, the best little brother, the bestest friends, Sabrina and Johanna Rinaldi, Public Diplomacy Family, Syracuse in the Final Four, 3.9GPA, Believers Chapel, SUPRA, VERA house, Kenya, Rick Hull taking my moms dogs, fellow Patriots fans, good health, a surprise stop in Egypt, Beth’s family, best friend visits, thanksgiving football, country music, answered prayers and a knowledge that one day I will see her again."

U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou : Vacancy Announcement # 13/051t - lefaso.net: "The U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso is seeking individuals for the position of Information Assistant in the Public Diplomacy Section."

RELATED ITEMS

Obama’s German Storm - Roger Cohen, New York Times: Hillary Clinton made an open and secure Internet supporting freedom around the world a cornerstone of her tenure as secretary of state. She called it the “21st century statecraft” agenda.

It was an important program. Little survives of it, however, if its primary supporter — the United States — turns out to be the main proponent of mass global surveillance. No wonder the Chinese and Russians are reveling: You see, we told you so! See also John Brown, "How does USG internet snooping jibe with 'internet freedom'?" Notes and Essays (June 9). Image from

Put the Spies Back Under One Roof - Tim Shorrock, New York Times: Congress must act now to re-establish a government-run intelligence service operating with proper oversight. The first step is to appoint an independent review board — with no contractors on it — to decide where the line for government work should be drawn. The best response to the Snowden affair is to reduce the size of our private intelligence army and make contract spying a thing of the past. Our democracy depends on it. See also John Brown, "Salaries, Spooks, and Ambassadors," Notes and Essays (June 11)

To Get a Truce, Be Ready to Escalate - Wesley K. Clark, New York Times: If Mr. Obama can convince Iran that he is serious, and is ready to back up his new promise of aid with additional forces, Iran and Russia will know the risks: Mr. Assad could lose his regime, and most likely his life.

A Promising Moment in Iran - Editorial, New York Times: The election of Hassan Rowhani as Iran’s next president creates an opportunity to move forward on a negotiated agreement to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program and to begin to repair three decades of hostility with the United States.

The question is whether Mr. Rowhani and President Obama have the political skill and courage to make it happen. Image from

Iran’s election hints anew at the desire for change - Editorial, Washington Post: The election demonstrated that a majority of Iranians continues to yearn for a freer society and reject the reactionary policies of Mr. Khamenei and his clique of hard-line clerics. If Mr. Rouhani is not allowed to take steps to answer those aspirations, both he and the regime could face another popular challenge.

Did sanctions shape the Iranian election? - Mehdi Khalaji, Washington Post: One should not forget that Rouhani’s justification for negotiations during the campaign was to relieve the pressure without giving up the program. This means that while the West should approach negotiations with cautious optimism, the West has to remain insistent on Iran having only a peaceful nuclear program that is verifiably far from a nuclear weapons capability.

A 'Pragmatic' Mullah: Iran's new president Hassan Rohani is no moderate - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: Now the West is supposed to be grateful that Mr. Ahmadinejad's scowling face will be replaced by Mr. Rohani's smiling one—a bad-cop, good-cop routine that Iran has played before.

Western concessions will no doubt follow if Mr. Rohani can convince his boss, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to play along. It shouldn't be a hard sell: Iran is now just a head-fake away from becoming a nuclear state and Mr. Khamenei has shown he's not averse to pragmatism when it suits him. Image from

Obama, Syria and the Aspin Doctrine: The ex-secretary of Defense noted a slope isn't slippery if you're willing to walk away - Doyle McManus, latimes.com: Obama's decision last week to send weapons and ammunition to the rebels fighting Bashar Assad's regime in Syria won't transform the situation on the ground. The rebels may well suffer more reverses in coming weeks. But with similar aid from Britain, France and other countries, the U.S help could speed the process of turning the rebels into a more effective army — one the Assad regime won't be able to destroy. Increased aid to the rebels doesn't need to be a slippery slope — as long as the president remembers to keep his footing.

Jordan's Web policy mistake: The last thing King Abdullah II needs is to associate his traditionally enlightened monarchy with the practices of his repressive neighbors - David Schenker, latimes.com: This month, Jordan blocked local access to about 300 domestic websites. The Obama administration has not commented on the blocking. No doubt Washington is not pleased. But given the broad range of threats to Jordanian stability, the curtailing of civil liberties ranks fairly low. However, it is all but certain that the administration is quietly conveying its concerns to the palace.

Tomgram: Nick Turse, Blowback Central - TomDispatch: As the war in Afghanistan -- a conflict born of blowback -- winds down, there will be greater incentive and opportunity to project U.S. military power in Africa. However, even a cursory reading of recent history suggests that this impulse is unlikely to achieve U.S. goals. While correlation doesn’t equal causation, there is ample evidence to suggest the United States has facilitated a terror diaspora, imperiling nations and endangering peoples across Africa. In the wake of 9/11, Pentagon officials were hard-pressed to show evidence of a major African terror threat. Today, the continent is thick with militant groups that are increasingly crossing borders, sowing insecurity, and throwing the limits of U.S. power into broad relief. After 10 years of U.S. operations to promote stability by military means, the results have been the opposite. Africa has become blowback central.

Immigration reform can prove U.S. strength and security - Robert Kagan, Washington Post: Many people around the world, and many Americans, have doubts that we can address any of the big problems facing our nation.Immigration reform is a good place to start proving them wrong.

State Department Sleaze Accumulates without Real Response - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: Attempted suicide after a harsh interrogation? Hiring armed guys with criminal backgrounds? Senior officials having sex with subordinates, prostitutes and minors?

Investigations into all of the above covered up or halted? That’s the news, not from Gitmo or some banana republic, but from your U.S. Department of State. Better get out the hand sanitizer, this blog post gets filthy fast. Image from entry. See also

Secretary Kerry. . . . Please Fix It . . . Now - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: How many more embarrassing reports revealing the underside of the State Department need to leak to the media before the new Secretary does something about cleaning up the administrative swamp into which this once venerable institution has sunk.

Tracking Edward Snowden, from a Maryland classroom to a Hong Kong hotel - Carol D. Leonnig, Jenna Johnson and Marc Fisher, Washington Post: Snowden wrote about using the Foreign Service as a path to success: “It’s an amazing deal if you can swing it. I’m not talking Foreign Service Officer, either, just standard IT specialist positions. They pay for your (ridiculously nice) housing and since you’ll be posted overseas, the first ~$80k you make will be tax-free.”

FY1929: Wife Gets One Year Salary of Deceased Husband, the Late U.S. Consul in Panama – $4,500 -  Domani Spero, DiploPundit: The total Diplomatic and Consular funds appropriated by Congress in 1929 was $88,375. That’s $1,201,750.12 in today’s money. Not even enough to run the current US Mission in Baghdad for a month.

The 'Man of Steel' is just more propaganda from a protected racket - Max Keiser, Russia Today: The movie industry itself; the actors, the directors, and writers are all protected by powerful unions.

This absurdity is writ large with gasbags like FoxNews’ Bill O’Reilly or Rush Limbaugh railing against unions even though they are in unions themselves. Additionally, the movie industry - the propaganda arm of America’s Pentagon - is protected by powerful lobbyists like the MPAA. Image from article, with caption: The 'Man of Steel' poster photo

See USSR: two sides of Soviet Union propaganda - Anna Richardson Taylor, creativereview.co.uk: New gallery GRAD in London stands for Gallery for Russian Arts and Design, and in keeping with its aim of presenting this art from a refreshingly new angle, its inaugural exhibition presents a fascinating insight into Soviet Union propaganda.

The exhibition of posters, magazines and textile designs is jointly curated by GRAD and Irina Nikiforova, chief of the department of European and American Art 19-20th Century at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. It shows the external proganda by the Soviet Union aimed at selling an attractive vision of the USSR to the tourists of western Europe and America in the late 1920s and 30s.

A series of posters, commissioned in the 1930s by Intourist (the organisation responsible for foreign tourism in the Soviet Union), enticed the West with stunning visions of the country, advertising such pursuits as hunting and adventurous car journeys. See USSR brings some of them together for the first time after extensive research into the relatively short time-span of this particular approach to propaganda. "Through Intourist's posters you really see this country that never existed," says curator and director of the gallery Elena Sudakova. "They used this European language, this very glamorous language. They are trying to attract European and American tourists, by means of the language that was familiar to them." Top image from entry, with caption: Intourist poster by Aleksandr Zhitomirsky, 1939; other mage from entry, with caption: The Crimea by Sergey Sakharov, 1935

AMERICANA

Obama ancestor monument knocked down - David Jackson, USA Today: Police in Georgia are investigating possible vandalism of a monument to an ancestor of first lady Michelle Obama. The monument in Rex, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, is dedicated to Mrs. Obama's great-great-great-grandmother, born into slavery in the mid-1800s. From the Associated Press: "Clayton County Commissioner Sonna Singleton tells WSB-TV that a stone monument

to Michelle Obama's great-great-great-grandmother, Melvinia Shields, was pushed over and will need to be inspected for cracks. The report was aired Monday. ..."Officials say the monument was installed about a year ago, and the county commission organized a celebration later this month to recognize Shields' connection to the White House. "It wasn't immediately clear when the monument was toppled." Image from entry

Nude Kim Kardashian statue unveiled in L.A. - Ann Oldenburg, USA Today: Her name is "L.A. Fertility." She's artist Daniel Edwards' sculpture tribute to Kim Kardashian's expectant motherhood shape. The life-size nude statue

was unveiled at the LAB ART Gallery in Los Angeles on Wednesday. According to a release from Edwards' rep, the artist decided to design it without arms so that people would focus on her "voluminous" belly and "lactiferous breasts" with the specific purpose of being able to allow visitors to give the belly "a respectful rub for good luck and success." Image from entry

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"I woke this morning with a new name."

--Former Booz Allen employee Edward Snowden, referring in 2010 to his gaming avatar,"Wolfking. Wolfking Awesomefox."

“You have not lived until you’ve rolled over to post-coital Krispy Kremes. That’s what being an American is all about.”

--Edward Snowden; image from

"At a party a few years ago, a young reporter bounded over to my cluster of social nodders and, with the breathlessness of a born tweeter, chirped: 'What’s the new hot thing?!'

Without disturbing my mascara, I replied: 'Anonymity.'

She looked befuddled.

I continued: 'To be Googled and to have nothing turn up. That’s hot.'

Too late, alas, even then.

In these post-Snowden days, the notion of anonymity is ludicrous."

--Kathleen Parker, "Googled to tears," Washington Post

IMAGE

Caption to image, via DR on Facebook: Artist Nathan Sawaya opens the "largest LEGO solo show ever" tomorrow in New York.

ONE MORE IMAGE

Anti-Pervert Hairy Stockings For Girls In Summertime; via FW on Facebook

June 13-15

"Secrecy is also an important part of public diplomacy."

--Journalist and former military analyst Joshua Foust; image from

PUBLICATION

Public Diplomacy Magazine: Current Issue Summer 2013 - The Pacific Century

EVENT

The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the UK: “Cultural Diplomacy throughout the Commonwealth on Nations: International Cooperation across Six Continents”(London; July 10th - 12th, 2013); image from announcement

VIDEO

Zbigniew Brzezinski on Syria: US is engaging in "mass propaganda" - activistpost.com

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Establishment of an Academic Partnership in Business Management and Environmental Sciences with Karakoram International University in Gilgit, Pakistan - "The Public Affairs Section of the U. S. Embassy in Islamabad announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to establish an Academic Partnership in Business Management and Environmental Sciences between a U. S. educational institution and the Karakoram International University (KIU) in Gilgit, Pakistan. ... Objectives detailed as priorities for this partnership include: curriculum development, collaborative research, professional development for faculty by U. S. counterparts, and faculty and student exchange. The duration of faculty and student exchanges can be managed according to the time required for the specific task or activity of their exchange. KIU has indicated the primary focus areas should be the environmental sciences programs and the business management programs. In addition, KIU has expressed a desire for assistance with laboratory equipment and training, involving environmental sciences students and faculty in research, and launching a program for encouraging entrepreneurial aptitude among youth and facilitating their transition to become entrepreneurs. Agency: Department of State Office: U.S. Mission to Pakistan Estimated Funding: $1,000,000"

Foreign food aid hearing provokes questions of American diplomacy - Aarian Marshall, Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.: "The pitched battle over foreign aid reform landed at the door of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today, where questions of American diplomacy took center stage.Those have been a main concern for agricultural interests, who argue that shifting toward local procurement and away from the shipping of American commodities will hurt American farmers and ranchers and leave aid recipients without an idea of where their food comes from. That would be significant in places like Afghanistan and Indonesia, where U.S. aid efforts have stemmed the tide of anti-American sentiment and proved itself a valuable national security tool. Citing increases in U.S. approval ratings in areas where food aid has been distributed, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., wondered whether aid would have the same impact if just money were shipped overseas. During times of crisis, 'where American food going to disaster victims - and everybody knows it’s

American food, there’s an American flag on the bag - we get a response that is helpful,' Sherman said. 'Are we going to see an American flag on the bag if the food inside isn’t grown in America?' Testimony by Andrew Natsios, a former administrator of USAID during the George W. Bush Administration, and Dan Glickman, secretary of agriculture under President Clinton, emphasized the reform proposed by the Obama Administration would not force USAID to go, in the words of Glickman, 'cold turkey - all cash.' Rather, 55% of all aid would have to come in the form of American commodities, leaving the remaining 45% to be flexibly distributed as commodities, food vouchers or checks. ... In his prepared testimony, Glickman noted that food aid now accounts for a half a percentage of farm income. But Natsios acknowledged that the American flag bags might be used less than they are now, which would have an affect [sic] on American diplomacy. But he said that is beside the point. 'No one would argue we should only provide aid if we get credit for it,' he said. 'We don’t kill children in order to get better public diplomacy.' The American flag bags have been an important part of the foreign aid fight. In a February letter the president, agricultural, maritime and nonprofit groups called food aid in bags 'bearing the U.S. flag and stamped as ‘From the American People'… [ambassadors] of our nation’s goodwill, which can help address the root causes of instability.'” Image from

Admit nothing and deny everything: Barack Obama says he is ready to talk with Xi Jinping about Chinese cyber-attacks. That makes one of them - economist.com (June 7): "Xi Jinping's first meeting with President Obama as head of state on June 7th is also the first such summit to feature prominently the issue of alleged Chinese cyber-attacks on American companies and interests. It has taken a long time for the issue to take centre stage in diplomatic relations between the two countries. After years of ineffectual and perhaps overly discreet grumbling about Chinese hacking, American officials are finally forcing the issue. The prospects for effective public diplomacy on hacking appear grim. The Americans have placed some hope in 'naming and shaming' China for hacking, and in recent months there has been no shortage of that. Senior American officials, big Western news media and Mandiant, a security firm, have issued a series of detailed reports and accusations of widespread Chinese hacking: of defence industry technology, of energy companies, of blueprints for American infrastructure, and of the e-mail systems of American officials and journalists. Mandiant’s report in February traced many attacks to the area around a People’s Liberation Army facility in Shanghai."

Xi met with Austrian-US relations or set the tone for the next 10 years [sic] - stockmarkettodayblog.com: "Chinese Foreign Ministry Public Diplomacy Advisory Committee Chen Mingming said the Sino-US summit in the areas of extensive, in-depth content is unprecedented. There are indications that U.S. leaders in the new situation on the substantive issues in-depth consultation mechanism will continue. US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the Sino-US cultural exchanges and the upcoming high-level consultations, Chinese defense and foreign ministers will be invited to visit the United States …… two leaders talked about a series of concrete to strengthen dialogue and communication initiatives. ... Chinese Public Diplomacy Association vice president Ma Zhengang said that Sino-US military exchanges communicate and understand each other strategies, will help enhance mutual security and mutual trust, reduce adversarial factor. Ruan Zongze that the U.S. position reflects a new way of thinking, heralded in handling Sino-US military relations will have a new action. Chinese Defense Minister’s visit will be a good start, Sino-US military personnel exchanges at all levels will increase. Ruan Zongze that if efforts to build a new power relations are two heads of strategic consensus, then strengthen communication and dialogue at all levels to strengthen economic, trade, energy, environment, humanities, and other fields where cooperation is to this magnificent blueprint specific."

Russia's Eurasian Union Could Endanger the Neighborhood and U.S. Interest - Ariel Cohen, heritage.org - "The formation of a Eurasian Union (EAU) is the next in a series of Russian initiatives to reassert control over the former Soviet space. The Eurasian Union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, if it follows the course that Russia will set, could threaten regional stability and undermine economic and political freedom in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The EAU will also likely influence the sovereignty, independence, and political orientation of neighboring countries. The U.S. should work with its allies and friends in Europe and Asia to balance the Russian geopolitical offensive and protect U.S. and Western interests. ... To remain geopolitically relevant in the 21st-century Eastern Hemisphere geopolitics, the Obama Administration should ... [inter alia:] ... Employ U.S. public diplomacy tools, including international broadcasting and exchanges, to communicate the pre-tested key messages to elite and mass audiences in the region." Image from entry

Russian delegates learn about democracy during La Crosse visit - Steffani Nolte, wxow.com: "Russian delegates with the Open World Leadership Center are visiting La Crosse this week. World Services of La Crosse placed the Russians with six host families in La Crosse and La Crescent. ... World Services of La Crosse, Inc., is a La Crosse-based nonprofit organization that develops and implements international partnerships designed to advance health, civil society, public administration and the environment and to promote peace and mutual understanding in countries throughout the world.

Since its founding by Congress in 1999, the Open World Program has enabled more than 14,000 current and future Eurasian leaders to experience American democracy, civil society and community life; work with their American counterparts; stay in American homes; and gain new ideas and inspiration for implementing change back home. Some 6,000 American host families and their communities in all 50 states have partnered with the U.S. Congress and Open World to make this ambitious public diplomacy effort possible." Uncaptioned image from article

A Message to American International Exchange Host Families: Thank You - Ann Stock, Dipnote: "As summer begins for families around the United States, we would like to say thank you to the volunteer American host families who generously provided a home-away-from-home for one of nearly 2,000 high school exchange students from over 50 countries that are on State Department-sponsored exchange programs this year.

We should honor host families as citizen diplomats who gave of their time, energy, homes, and support to talented young people from another country. By sharing their culture, values, and daily lives, host families build life-long relationships." Image from entry, with caption: An American Family Hosts an Exchange Student From Thailand.

Fulbright WAGs - Molly Bettie, Student Exchanges: Possibly the first study of the Fulbright Program to be conducted by someone who isn't affiliated with it in any way... - "Although the Fulbright Program has always been open to women, most of the early grantees were men. There's no indication that the selection process was biased or discriminatory--it's just that the applicant pool had more men than women in it. For every Sylvia Plath (1955-57, Cambridge), there's a Joseph Hellerand a John Updike. ... Senator Fulbright, for his part, didn't believe in paying for a grantee's family to tag along.'The original idea, which is still sound, I think, is to take your best American graduate students, not their families...Too much is spent on sending professors and their families over.' (Sussman, 1992, p. 56). I take his criticism as a defensive measure, trying to get the most out of the programme's limited funds. Senator Fulbright fought a constant battle for adequate funding, and he recognised that two or even three junior scholars could be sent overseas for the price of just one senior professor with a family."

More Ambassadors and FSO's Call For A Public Diplomacy Professional - Public Diplomacy Council

Fourteen Articles On Public Diplomacy Practice For The Future American Public Diplomat - James Thomas Snyder, PD Magazine, Summer 2013

Al Jazeera, Russia Today, U.S. International Broadcasting — which will be “A Voice of the Voiceless”? - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com:"U.S. International Broadcasting was at one time 'A Voice of the Voiceless,' but is has become, in the words of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 'defunct' and 'dysfunctional.' Some have blamed the decline on presidentially appointed members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, but the real culprit in our view is the permanent bureaucracy of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), the BBG’s executive and administrative division. ... Al Jazeera is a real international broadcasting player that does not confuse technology with a mission. It needs to be taken seriously. Meanwhile, IBB bureaucrats are busy destroying USIB and its reputation. ... Al Jazeera, and for that matter Russia Today, know what audience they want to target. Both are using questionable journalistic tactics (Russia Today in a far more shameless way), but they both aspire to be 'A Voice of the Voiceless.' IBB executives think that technology will take care of the mission whatever that mission is. They have no idea."

BBG Holds Digital Innovation Expo - radioworld.com: "[A]t the Capitol Visitor Center, the Broadcasting Board of Governors took the focus off of its struggling board and held a Digital Innovation Expo that showcased what else it does in the world, with demonstrations on the various news and information initiatives it offers to audiences worldwide who would otherwise not have access to a free press. These include the Internet anti-censorship tools employed in China and Iran, social media links with audiences in Cuba, how people in Mali can listen to Voice of America with a local phone call and a collaborative blog with personalized accounts on the plight of Syrians. Participants included employees of the BBG’s Offices of Digital Design and Innovation and Technology, Services and Innovation, as well as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Some of the latest innovations on display included paper USBs, translation tools and mobile crisis intervention projects. Focal topics included use of social media, mobile phones and innovative tools for exchanging content with audiences, and tools for getting information into press-restrictive societies such as Cuba, Syria and China. The crowd was at capacity, according to the BBG, and included scholars, Congressional staff and members of the public diplomacy community."

Dangers and Delights of Digital Diplomacy - AFP, Naharnet: "The introduction of tools such as Twitter and Instagram has ensured that news and information zooms instantly around the globe in a click, to be viewed by millions of people within seconds.

This leaves no time to check facts, and could be cause for red faces or even potential disaster and lasting damage if a tweet is wrong, or misinterpreted. ... 'If you're John Kerry you have a very different online personality than if you're Jon Stewart,' said Evan Kraus, executive director for digital strategy at communications consultants APCO. 'There's obviously a great desire to be funny, and interesting and clever on social media. But if you're not doing in an authentic way then it falls flat, and it doesn't work.' ... [T]he millennial generation ... [is] not content with being a passive bystander." Image from entry

The Sinocism China Newsletter 06.12.13 - sinocism.com "Livetweets from a China Conference on the Obama–Xi Summit (with image, tweets) · gwbstr · Storify Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt of the International Crisis Group in Beijing offered some good tweet-notes from a conference hosted by the China Institute of International Studies and China Public Diplomacy Association. //Probably would have been less candid had they realized a foreigner was in the audience and live-tweeting?"

Constructive conflict engagement - Haider Mehdi, nation.com.pk: "Political management experts and foreign policy managers all over the world are in unanimous agreement that sheer public diplomacy rhetoric, seductively charged hope and selectively tall statements by a political leadership do not resolve the serious foreign policy problems of a nation. In reality, determined actions, explicitly laid out policies and a realistic appreciation of political realities of what is possible and what is not probable in the contemporary global political system, are the factors that determine the foreign policy discourse of a nation. Reportedly, 'PM Nawaz Sharif has categorically said that the dual policy on drones will not be pursued anymore and the US will have to respect the sovereignty of Pakistan'; it is indeed, a commendable view of a fresh foreign policy initiative by the new Sharif regime. But the fundamental question remains: is Islamabad well prepared and fully equipped with explicit policy directions and plans to put the PM’s initiative into a formidable set of political actions to achieve its objectives?"

Where is ASEAN cultural diplomacy? - Verdinand Robertua, Jakarta Post: "With a population of over 500 million people, Southeast Asia is blessed with diverse ethnicities, languages, food and music. Unfortunately, this richness in culture and art has never been explored in order to introduce and promote ASEAN integration as leaders of the region have opted to focus on security, political and economic issues. Cultural activities and cooperation among ASEAN members are integral parts of the ASEAN road map, but few events have been organized to realize this cultural diplomacy. ... Lack of understanding and respect for cultural diversity can often lead to conflict. ASEAN needs to facilitate this need through festivals, concerts and student exchanges."

Unity in Diversity - Andrew Carpenter, Carpen-Diem: "My first week in Indonesia was tiring in the best way. While fighting through jet lag, I spent a week living in a Jakarta hotel with 60-odd other participants from 43 countries. 'The Committee' the body from Ministry of Foreign Affairs who has put this together) had us going nonstop from the beginning. To start, we were thrown together into a six hour Indonesian language orientation on our first day. I had arrived early that morning, so I was really on my game for speaking a foreign language. On the second day, the different arts centers presented the programs they offer for the scholarship in order for us to choose our location for the next three months (spoiler: I have ended up in Surabaya, East Java). Also, my apologies for the lack of pictures. Most of the time it wasn't possible to use my camera. Official pictures are pending, by our wonderful press corps. The scholarship’s official opening ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs happened on the third day (Friday, 7 June). The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Director General for Public Diplomacy presided, and we all wore our national costumes. Most other countries’ outfits were beautiful and colorful. The United States, however, doesn’t have anything traditional. Instead, our national dress is a business suit.

I almost felt foolish among so many other people who were so proud of their national traditions and, as my brother pointed out when he saw the below picture, I looked like I’d shown up to sell insurance. People from other countries taunted me (lightheartedly) that of course the United States shows up in a business suit. It really is our national dress. It seems that our image abroad is one of political fanaticism and obsessive moneymaking. Thinking about it from outside the country, it really does seem that way. Despite a rich, well preserved history, we don’t seem to have a lot of folk heritage for Americans to participate in and take pride in. ... Splitting the 70ish participants was actually a fairly painful process. In this week we had become very tight-knit despite being so large and so diverse. 'Unity in Diversity' is actually a very relevant motto to this scholarship group. We make up a ten year range in age, come from dozens of countries and pursue dozens of career fields. These differences helped us bond, because we are actually learning from each other and growing as people by exploring and celebrating what makes us unique as cultures and as people. Reflecting Indonesia’s own need to embrace its diversity to stay together, the group’s differences make it rich and cohesive instead of fragmented, making the scholarship’s goal to increase relations among the participating nations a wild success." Image from entry

What's between the JNF and pro-Israel graffiti in Hebron? - ammonnews.net: "Yossi Sarid’s revelation ‏(in Haaretz, May 31‏) that the Jewish National Fund was planning to spend $500,000 for a talk by Bill Clinton for a gala evening at the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot − the JNF subsequently dropped out following a media outcry, leaving the center to pick up the check − has raised an interesting question. Where exactly does the money that’s put into the blue box go, and how does the most famous Zionist organization of them all conduct its affairs? ... Here’s another small example: the JNF’s support for a small orginazation called Artists 4 Israel. It’s a U.S.-based organization of right-wing activists who come to Israel every few months and

spray-paint graffiti in various places, as can be seen in clips on the group’s website. ... Artists 4 Israel explains on its website that because donations to the organization are not tax deductible, donations should be made to the JNF offices in New York, which will transfer the funds to the organization. The JNF and Artists 4 Israel also work together in the United States to promote public diplomacy for Israel. ... Afterward, it turned out that the page on the Artists 4 Israel website explaining how to transfer funds to it through the JNF had been removed." Image from entry, with caption: "May the temple be built soon in our time" this painting proclaims in Hebrew in H2, the legal wasteland inside Hebron.

Israeli diplomats fight against their declining status - globalpost.com: "Underpaid and increasingly deprived of power and influence over the Jewish state's foreign policy, Israeli diplomats are desperately trying to make their voices heard. About 200 foreign ministry staff demonstrated on Tuesday in Jerusalem, demanding a rise in salaries which have been frozen for years. ... Netanyahu plans to create a 'National Directorate of Communication' -- a public diplomacy agency tasked with explaining and justifying Israel's policies, particularly abroad. 'Most of these missions should be the responsibility of professional diplomats. We have been reduced to the bare minimum,' said [a] diplomat, speaking of 'a sense of humiliation' among his colleagues."

7 Ways Netanyahu Is Destroying Israeli Diplomacy - Matthew Kalman, Daily Beast: "Israel’s foreign diplomacy has never been its strongest asset, but there is no denying the dedication of the underpaid, under-resourced employees of Israel’s foreign service. Now the hard-pressed diplomats of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have taken the unprecedented step of refusing to assist ministers of their own government, officers of the Israel Defense Forces or the Shin Bet secret service traveling abroad.

The sanctions are a last-ditch protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wholesale destruction of the Foreign Ministry, which is being carved up salami-style in a bizarre strategy that is in danger of wrecking what little is left of Israel’s tattered international diplomacy. Here’s how Netanyahu, himself a former deputy foreign minister, is picking the ministry to pieces. ... 2. Pretend foreign minister #1: the Public Diplomacy Ministry [:] In 2009, Netanyahu re-styled the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs as the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs under Likud Party loyalist Yuli Edelstein, thus stripping the Foreign Ministry of its lead role in Israel’s foreign information strategy—usually known by the Hebrew word hasbara ('explanation'). Israel’shasbara has always been dreadful, but under Edelstein—whose gentlemanly manner masks a right-wing religious-messianic fanaticism forged under brutal Soviet oppression—it reached a new, uncoordinated nadir. The new ministry took over the Government Press Office, which handles the registration of resident and visiting journalists, re-locating it from its ramshackle but accessible central Jerusalem building to an unmarked and impossible-to-find suite of rooms above a girls’ college near the Malcha Shopping Mall miles from the center. The ministry’s lowest point was its release of the hallucinatory Gaza Hasbara Rape video in which Israel was depicted as a sexually abused young woman in a bizarre encounter with a male therapist." Image from article, with comment: "Don't get me started."

Israeli Foreign Ministry Pushed To Sidelines on Policymaking - Mazal Mualemal, monitor.com: "'Israel’s foreign policy is passive, not proactive,” says Knesset Member Ronen Hoffman of the Yesh Atid party. 'It’s not derived from any strategy, and this is something we must change.' Hoffman chairs the Knesset’s Foreign and Defense Affairs’ Subcommittee on Public Diplomacy, the realization of a professional dream. Hoffman has a Ph.D. in international relations from King’s College, London, and has been researching and dealing in issues of diplomacy for most of his adult life. ... Hoffman contends that Israel’s foreign policy is in urgent need of a structural overhaul in order to deal with the challenges of public diplomacy. He is currently formulating an action plan that would redefine the authority granted by law to Israel’s foreign-affairs and public-diplomacy activities. In recent years, due to political considerations within the ruling coalition, jobs and responsibilities were moved from the foreign ministry to newly established ministries: the Ministry of Information/Public Diplomacy, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs headed by Yuval Steinitz, the Defense Ministry and the prime minister’s office. This dispersal, by its very nature, makes it difficult to determine effective and coherent policy on public diplomacy."

High-ranking Indonesian delegation secretly visits Israel - israelhayom.com: "A high-ranking Indonesian delegation visited Israel in secret last week. Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim nation -- has no diplomatic relations with Israel. An Australian Jewish pro-Zionist organization facilitated the delegation's trip to Israel. The Australian Jewish group has maintained friendly relations with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) since he was the public diplomacy and Diaspora affairs minister in the last government. Members of the Indonesian delegation, which was led by parliamentarian Tantowi Yahya, met with Edelstein in his office and had their picture taken with the Knesset speaker.

“It is not yet lost” – a profile of Michael Freund in Ma’ariv - Yael Friedson and Yair Kraus, shavei.org: "In an era during which declaring your Judaism does not seem like the safest move, the organization Shavei Israel operates in remote areas with the most distant communities, and helps them in their struggle for their identity, their tradition and their religion. ... 'We are a small people in a small country, we don’t have many friends in the world,' says

Michael Freund, the organization’s founder who has turned his vision into a life’s mission. ... Freund’s journey to the lost communities began in 1996, when he immigrated to Israel from New York and found work in the public diplomacy office during the first Netanyahu administration. Freund was the deputy director, and mostly dealt with communications with foreign journalists. Freund image from entry

'People should not have Judaism forced on them' - Israel Hayom, Yehuda Shlezinger: "Yoaz Hendel ... was Netanyahu’s director of communications and public diplomacy."

The Only Win-Win for Erdogan and Turkey - Cengiz Çandar, Al-Monitor: "It was extremely offensive to hear CNN International speak of [Turkish PM Recep Tayyip] Erdogan in such terms as 'Europe has a new Hitler.' The same night, Erdogan’s senior adviser for public diplomacy, Ibrahim Kalin, surely suffered when CNN’s famous name, Christiane Amanpour, declared, 'Show is over.' Until a month ago, Erdogan was a politician being mentioned as a possible candidate for a Nobel Peace Prize as a leader heading toward resolution of the Kurdish issue. Now he is being criticized in the harshest terms in the Western world, and his credibility in the Arab world has been badly shaken."

Turkey a model country for public diplomacy is on fire - uspublicdiplomacy.blogspot.com: "I have always thought of Turkey as a wonderful example of how Turkish culture is always more telling than it’s [sic] politics or politicians. ... Turkey has had a history of twelve thousand years, and for most of that period has been the land where east and west have met. For decades now, Turkey has been a model of how Islam can live with institutions of a modern democratic state. Unlike most of Muslim countries in the region,Turkey has managed to create a place where both civilizations can exist in one country and make a perfect model for public diplomacy. ... But there are a lot of changes in the politics of Turkey and not all for the better.

The current prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has some how managed to disturb the balance of piety versus secularism in this country which used to be a model for the whole region. ... More journalists are currently in jail in Turkey than in China. ... The combinations of ... of assaults on the free press and people’s basic freedoms is why people are on the street." Image from entry

David Cameron and Britain's public diplomacy - sutispeaks.blogspot.com: "David Cameron showed great dynamism by speaking directly to BBC's global audience. It was great to see the British prime minister, David Cameron walk into the BBC studio in London and take questions from the audience all over the world in its popular global show: The world have your say.

Mr. Cameron’s ease and humility on answering questions on a range of topics like Syria, the role G8 in Afghanistan, aid and poverty reduction was simply amazing. It's difficult to get a prime minister of a major country to be rallying questions even at a press conference, let alone a TV show." Cameron image from entry

Disrupting Design: ‘Living’ Greenhouses That Are Uprooting Conventional Spaces - knstrct.com: "Casa Mediterráneo Headquarters - Manuel Ocaña Arquitecto [:] Casa Mediterráneo has teamed up with Manuel Ocaña Arquitecto to breathe new life into an old railway station in Benalúa, Alicante.

The archaic exoskeleton of the former station remains, while new life springs forth under the Klein-blue translucent roof ... all supporting Casa Mediterráneo's pillar of supporting public diplomacy." Image from entry

No wonder diplomats are on strike: The foreign service needs fixing - Colin Robertson, theglobeandmail.com: "Today, there is a perception that, after seven years, the Prime Minister and the international portfolio ministers have no confidence in their foreign service even if they trust individual officers. If so, then now is the time to reform the foreign service rather than continuing to rubbish it. The last serious look at the foreign service was a Royal Commission conducted by Pamela McDougall between 1979-80. Prime Minister Harper has had success with task forces, such as that on Afghanistan, with clear objectives, a short time-frame, and designed to produce practical recommendations. Mr. Harper should mandate a task force to determine what kind of foreign service we need for the future. Terms and conditions of service – including a more flexible approach to postings, improved language training, and better recognition of spousal contributions – should be a part of the inquiry. It would complement ongoing work on the government’s Global Commerce Strategy. Both efforts need to bring us into the 21st century by also allowing our foreign service to use social media. If the foreign services of our U.S. and European allies can use the tools of public diplomacy – to blog, tweet and speak out in support of their national interests – why can’t we? Today’s foreign service long ago embraced the tenets of guerrilla diplomacy, exchanging pinstripes for a backpack."

Canada ramps up its Iranian experiment - Campbell Clark, theglobeandmail.com: "[F]rom its inception, the Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran, funded by the Foreign Affairs department and organized by the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs has been an unusual experiment. It’s not just that it’s public diplomacy, or uses a digital portal and social media instead of diplomats. It’s that it’s not aimed at improving relations with a foreign government, but rather at sidestepping that government entirely to speak to the people. And at bottom, the Canadian government is trying to create tools to foster a movement for change in another country. ... The idea, according to Canadian officials, is to use a time when Iranians are thinking more than usual about their political system to get them into a discussion about democracy, and the issues facing Iran. They also want to help the splintered groups of Iranian dissidents inside and outside the country to connect to each other. It is definitely an innovation. Whether a portal sponsored by a foreign government will be seen as more than propaganda remains an open question."

“Everyone is going to Yerevan”: Mission is possible -Ulia Hakobyan, ArmeniaNow.com: "Yerevan is welcoming summer’s most significant and large-scale cultural event this week, which brought over 600 guests from five countries together to Armenia’s capital for cultural exchange. Within the framework of the Public Diplomacy Mission 'Everyone is going to Yerevan', over 40 cultural events are being held in Yerevan and regions started June 12, including concerts, exhibitions, theater plays by artists from the former Soviet republics. ... People’s diplomacy mission is a civil initiative, which is being implemented through private donations.

Besides, the foreign ministries of Armenia and Estonia, as well as municipality of Tallinn and Yerevan, as well as a few governmental agencies provide assistance. ... 'The public diplomacy mission is a cultural exchange between four countries - Armenia, Estonia, Ukraine and Russia. This is the relationship between our peoples, which is independent of politics and all of us are ready to pay visits and share views and cultural events,' says Valery Khite, a well known writer and TV man from Odessa." Image from entry

GroundTruth In Burma - Charles M. Sennott, huffingtonpost.com: "[Y]oung reporters -- nine from the United States and 11 from here in Myanmar, also known as Burma -- [were] brought together through a unique partnership between the New York-based Open Hands Initiative and GlobalPost for a reporting fellowship. Throughout the month of June, we will be dedicating the GroundTruth blog to chronicle their journey through Myanmar, also known as Burma. Open Hands Initiative ... [is] a non-profit organization that supports unique projects around the world that promote what its founder and chairman Jay Snyder calls 'people to people diplomacy.' Snyder, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, is a passionate practitioner and generous supporter of public diplomacy who will join us later in the journey. The idea of 'people-to-people' diplomacy might sound a bit idealistic in its approach particularly for an old-school foreign correspondent like myself who has reported for nearly three decades in the field and fought off the creeping cynicism and the depressing culture of decline that has set in for too many traditional news organizations. Well, it is idealistic, but most importantly I have learned that it is effective in producing top quality journalism."

$10m to revamp CBD - geelongadvertiser.com.au: "The Central Geelong Task Force has ambitious plans for the city centre, hoping for a result mirroring the more than $300 million in private and government investment that was spent to remodel the waterfront. ... Committee for Geelong had lobbied hard to get a seat on the taskforce committee, but missed out as the council decided to limit it to representatives from the council, Deakin University, the state and external urban planners. Despite its public diplomacy, the group is unhappy about being excluded."

Australia backs surfing initiative - fijisun.com: "A ... grant of $6190, from the High Commission’s Public Diplomacy fund, will be used by Fiji Surfing to help it strengthen the lead it has taken in efforts to establish the Fiji Water Safety Council (FWSC). The objective is to have the FWSC work

on a plan of action and set in place an educational program aimed at cutting down on the number of drowning deaths in Fiji." Image from entry, with caption: From left: Australian High Commission acting Head of Mission Glenn Miles, Fiji Surfing Association official Ed Lovell, Australian Youth Ambassador Andy Eames, who is attached to the Fiji Surfing Association, and John Davidson, Minister-Counsellor for AusAID.

Ethiopia: The ERCA Gets New Boss - Elleni Araya, allafrica.com: "After the disruption caused by numerous high profile arrests, there is the hope it will soon be business as usual Beker Shale, director general of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA). ... Beker's appointment by the Prime Minister's Office has filled the month-long vacancy created by the arrest of Melaku Fenta. ... Melaku, educated in economics, business administration and customs & revenue, as well as public diplomacy, and now in custody and facing corruption charges, has overseen the introduction of many changes at the ERCA."

High Tech Sector Pushing U.S. Public Diplomacy FWD - Naomi Leight, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The realm of social media and the power of the Internet lies [sic] in the hands of the people. ... Immigration reform is an issue that spans the domestic, foreign, economic and diplomatic arenas, while directly impacting the tech industry. Silicon Valley has a special interest in expanding the H1B visas for skilled workers in order to improve their corporate bottom lines. And while many tech giants may not be interested in the public diplomacy implications of jumping into the immigration debate, they cannot be ignored."

Public Diplomacy and the Hidden Hand: Part 3 - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "The thought that struck me we need to think about the ‘covert’ and ‘overt’ in a more complex way. From an analytical perspective rather than thinking about a dichotomy it’s probably better to think of a continuum between the completely overt ie ‘this message comes to you courtesy of the government of x’ in big neon letters through all types of variants of the ‘discrete but not secret’ through differing levels of covertness."

The Private War - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I have long been curious of the intersection of the private sector into the public domain, I am tremendously concerned at the rise of private intelligence gathering services: What has received less attention is the fact that most intelligence work today is not carried out by government agencies but by private intelligence firms and that much of that work involves another common aspect of intelligence work: deception. That is, it is involved not just with the concealment of reality, but with the manufacture of it.[see]Private eyes in public places, I do not like it. This also all weighs heavily on me as I consider my own future on the private side of public diplomacy, and I try to figure how to do independent public diplomacy."

The Undiscovered Country: Managing and Analyzing Pivots - Efe Sevin, cgcsblog.asc.upenn.edu: "Efe Sevin is a Doctoral Candidate at the School of International Service at American University and is a Research Fellow at the Research on Collaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities (COTELCO). His research interests include strategic communication, non-traditional diplomacy, global governance, and research methodologies. Mr. Sevin’s doctoral dissertation focuses on the role of public diplomacy as a foreign policy instrument. Email: esevin[@]american.edu"

RELATED ITEMS

Bad Idea, Mr. President - Ramzy Mardini, New York Times: Mr. Obama would have been wise to make a forceful diplomatic push first before succumbing to the naïveté of

his pro-intervention critics. Syria is like Iraq, except worse. Image from article, with caption: A rebel fighter from the Grandsons of the Prophet Brigade at Deir Al Gharbi, a front line close to Syrian Army positions, May 30.

After Arming the Rebels, Then What? - Editorial, New York Times: Like most Americans, we are deeply uneasy about getting pulled into yet another war in the Middle East. Those urging stronger action seemed to have learned nothing from the past decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, which has sapped the United States and has produced results that are ambiguous at best.

Syria: Crossing the Red Line - Peter Van Buren, wemeantwell.com: Let’s try another handy quiz: The U.S. is intervening in Syria’s civil war because Assad used poison gas. The poison gas killed 100-150 people. Close to 100,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war to date. The U.S. is thus going to war again in the Middle East because 0.001 percent of the deaths were caused by gas instead of artillery, aerial bombs, machine guns, tanks, rockets, grenades, car bombs, mines, bad food, or sticks and stones.

The U.S. should help Mideast moderates - David Ignatius, Washington Post: The administration’s specific rationale for arming the rebels is that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons. But crusades against weapons of mass destruction have a bad history in the Middle East, as we remember from Iraq. President Obama’s broader goal should be to support moderate forces — meaning those that are committed to pluralism, freedom of expression and the rule of law. Those were the core themes of his famous June 2009 speech in Cairo, but there’s been too little follow-through.

U.S. intervention in Syria must be robust - Editorial, Washington Post: Only if the balance of the war shifts decisively to the side of the rebels will an acceptable political settlement be possible. That, in turn, will almost certainly require a more robust U.S. intervention. The war in Syria threatens vital U.S. interests — from the fight against al-Qaeda to the security of Israel.

Dabbling in Syria: Obama arms the rebels, but not enough to defeat Assad and his patrons - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Mr. Obama still doesn't appreciate the strategic stakes in the Syrian civil war. Russia, Iran and Syria want to create an arc of influence from Iran to the Mediterranean while demonstrating to America's regional allies that the U.S. is a retreating power that lacks the will to support its friends. They are playing to win, while even after this week Mr. Obama appears to be playing not to lose.

Russia Outmaneuvers Obama Over Syria: America is playing catch-up with Putin in the Middle East. The G8 meeting starting Monday should be interesting - John Bolton, Wall Street Journal: Since Syria's civil war began, Mr. Obama has insisted, contrary to fact, that the U.S. and Russia have a common interest in resolving the crisis and stabilizing the Middle East. Secretary of State John Kerry's recent efforts to secure Russian co-sponsorship of a peace conference, at which Washington will push for Assad's ouster, reflect Mr. Obama's illusion.

A smarter way to deal with China: The right U.S. strategy includes 'power with,' not just 'power over'
- Joseph S. Nye Jr: In meeting many of the new transnational challenges, the U.S. has to get away from thinking just about power over others and think about power with others. We do not want to become so fearful that we are not able to find ways to cooperate with China. It makes no more sense to see the world through a purely realist lens — that focuses only on the top chessboard and predicts conflict with China — than it does to see through a liberal lens that looks primarily at a single board and predicts only cooperation. In a tri-level game, a player who focuses on only one board is bound to lose in the long run. Fortunately, China and the United States have more to gain from the cooperation dimension of their relationship than from the conflict one. Both just need to recognize that.

‘Cool War: The Future of Global Competition’ by Noah Feldman - Book Review, Marcus Brauchli, Washington Post: Today, the big-power rivalry, to the extent that there is one, appears to pit the United States against another nominally communist power, China. Feldman does us a favor at the outset by knocking down the false choice that too often undergirds the conversation on China. It is not a matter of either standing up to Beijing autocrats on principle and bracing for war, as one side would have it, or surrendering our values and accommodating the new economic hegemon, as the other might. Rather, Feldman writes, “a classic struggle for power is unfolding at the same time as economic cooperation is becoming deeper and more fundamental.”

Russia will deport foreigners for homosexual propaganda; Duma passes bill 436-0 - lifesitenews.com: June 11, 2013: The Russian parliament today voted 436 to 0 to pass a total ban on homosexual propagandizing by foreign or domestic activists. The law will impose stiff fines or prison terms for spreading “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.” It will effectively outlaw “gay pride” festivals and stop attempts by foreign homosexualist activist groups to normalize their lifestyles or campaign for same-sex legal recognition. The same day, the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, passed another bill providing jail terms and fines for anyone convicted of insulting religious feelings, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to some reports, the new law will allow for jail terms of up to three years and fines of up to 500,000 roubles (US $15,400) for organizations “spreading information aimed at forming non-traditional sexual behavior among children, suggesting this behavior is attractive, and making a false statement about the socially equal nature of traditional and non-traditional relationships." Individuals using the Internet to spread homosexualist propaganda can be fined up to 5,000 roubles (US $155); officials can be fined up to 10 times that amount. The maximum fine is one million roubles (US $30,800). Foreigners found in violation of the law can be arrested and held for up to 15 days before being deported. Image from

LGBT community takes legal steps against main sponsor of ‘sex propaganda bill’ - Russia Today: Russian LGBT activists have addressed the Prosecutor General’s office claiming MP Elena Mizulina and the recently approved bill on ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors’ promote hatred towards gays. The news was announced by Nikolay Alekseyev, one of the leaders of Russian LGBT community, in an interview with the popular daily Izvestia. Alekseyev gave no details on who submitted the complaint or when it was done. The State Duma last week passed the bill, introducing heavy fines for propaganda of non-traditional sex relations to minors. Initially the bill banned gay propaganda, but the formula was changed before the final reading after gay activists and human rights campaigners repeatedly noted that direct mentioning of gays was discriminatory. However, the current draft stretches the definition of propaganda as far as “promoting the distorted understanding of social equality of traditional and non-traditional sex relations.” Some Russian mass media and public figures have already noted that this can only be understood as a ban on tolerance. The bill is yet to be approved by the Upper House and signed by the president to come into force.

Washington’s weak responses to Putin’s crackdowns set a bad example - Hannah Thoburn, Washington Post: Anything Russia can do, you can do, too. That is the message Washington is sending to repressive, power-hungry governments around the world. With each step that President Vladimir Putin takes to restrict the freedoms of the Russian people, like-minded leaders watch U.S.(and European) reactions and, seeing weak responses, are emboldened to abuse human rights in a similar manner.

Obama appoints big money fundraisers to diplomatic posts - Dave Boyer, The Washington Times: Three fundraisers who helped to raise millions for President Obama's reelection were appointed to coveted diplomatic posts by the president Friday. Rufus Gifford, who was Mr. Obama's chief fundraiser in 2012 and was the campaign's liaison to the gay community, was appointed ambassador to Denmark. John B. Emerson, who was cochair of the Democratic National Committe's southern California finance committee, was nominated by Mr. Obama to become ambassador to Germany, the White House said in a statement. And HBO executive James Costos was nominated to become U.S. ambassador to Spain.

Très Brooklyn - Paul Rockower, Levantine: The food truck as American gastrodiplomacy to France: In France, there is still a widespread belief that the daily diet in the United States consists of grossly large servings of fast food. But in Paris, American food is suddenly being seen as more than just restauration rapide. Among young Parisians, there is currently no greater praise for cuisine than 'très Brooklyn,' a term that signifies a particularly cool combination of informality, creativity and quality.All three of those traits come together in the American food trucks that have just opened here, including Cantine California, which sells tacos stuffed with organic meat (still a rarity in France), and a hugely popular burger truck called Le Camion Qui Fume (The Smoking Truck), owned by Kristin Frederick, a California native who graduated from culinary school here."

We Want You: Propaganda posters - Stephanie Ogrodnik, philly.com: This new exhibit presents 33 posters that journey through decades of military history from the 1800’s colonization of Africa, to the Chinese government’s support for the African independence movements of the 1960s.

In studying these posters, revealing such twisted realities, one cannot help but reflect on the nature of propaganda itself. Altogether, Black Bodies in Propaganda offers an elaborate glance into history, and the nature of communication within these different time periods in a way that is concise and easily absorbed. Image from entry

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"You know, you’re not going to want artists to take care of your livestock.”

--James Turrell, who inhabits, part time, a crater in Arizona; image from article, with caption: Stairs that lead from the East Portal to the crater's exterior.