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News Updates: Public Diplomacy
This Week In Public Diplomacy News
This Week's News Updates: Cybersecurity, Public Diplomacy, Missile Defense
President Obama in Asia: The Bow, the Handshake and the Smile
November 19, 2009-Is President Obama "advertising weakness" in Asia? Conservative critics...have accused Obama of practicing a destructive "diplomacy of deference" in which American supremacy overseas is weakened by inept public diplomacy.
Obama's Beijing balancing act points to the new challenge for the west
November 19, 2009-Yet beyond the hard power relations, there is an almost philosophical question about how we in the west engage with China. There are, it seems to me, two basic approaches we could adopt. As he swayed on his tightrope, the end of Obama's balancing pole pointed sometimes to one, sometimes to the other…
What Obama Accomplished in Asia
November 19, 2009-Has a president ever been less successful on a trip overseas than President Obama has on his eight-day excursion to Asia? Obama struck out on his entire agenda in China and he acquiesced as the Chinese subjected him to the humiliation of a choreographed town hall meeting with students of the Young Communist League.
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
November 18, 2009-Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to the Broadcasting Board of Governors: Victor H. Ashe, Dennis Mulhaupt, Dana Perino, and S. Ender Wimbush.
Promoting a cause through YouTube
November 18, 2009- Are we in the midst of a Twitter Revolution, as some have proclaimed? Or not so fast, as others have cautioned? The evidence is still coming in. But it is hard to refute the prominent role the technology has played — and continues to play — in Iran and around the world.
Asian Youth Seek Democratic Change at Youth Engagement Summit in Malaysia
November 18, 2009-As the sun tried to break through the early morning mist in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s fantastic federal administrative center south of Kuala Lumpur, 3,000 of Southeast Asia’s most talented youth leaders began arriving in droves at the Youth Engagement Summit.
Number of Students Studying Abroad on Rise Globally
November 18, 2009-A Washington-based educational institute says the number of university students who study abroad is on the rise. The Institute of International Education reports a 60 percent increase in the number of students studying outside their native country since the year 2000.
Bipartisan Team Call for End to Cuba Travel Ban
November 17, 2009-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) have jointly written a compelling case to end the travel ban for all Americans desiring to go to Cuba.
Testing times for Pakistan-US relations
November 17, 2009-US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan was a striking and impressive display of public diplomacy. Rarely has a visiting American official, much less a secretary of state, reached out to speak directly to such a wide cross-section of Pakistanis.
Technology and the 21st. Century
November 17, 2009-They're the new tools of 21st century diplomacy: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The Obama administration says "new media," coupled with older technologies like radio, can transform America's foreign policy and development goals. We talk with Alec Ross, senior adviser on innovation to Secretary Hillary Clinton at the State Department.
DOS Launches Second Annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest to Amplify U.S. Public Diplomacy: "Change Your Climate, Change Our World"
November 17, 2009-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today launched the Department of State’s second annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest, “Change Your Climate, Change Our World,” with a video message on the ExchangesConnect social network at http://connect.state.gov.
Africa Command Begins its Premier Security Cooperation Conference
November 17, 2009-The interagency representation at the conference also points to how Africa Command continues to be a listening and learning organization, Ward added. "This is a team effort...this helps us understand the environment in a more effective way and how we can do our very best to ensure that our programs are coordinated and synchronized in a way that brings coherency to the totality of our efforts to help bring stability to the African continent."
International Students Come to United States in Record Numbers
November 16, 2009-The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 8% to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008/09 academic year while the number of “new” international students — those enrolled for the first time at a U.S. college or university in fall 2008 — increased by 16%. This represents the largest percentage increase in international student enrollments since 1980/81.
What you mean 'we,' kemosabe?; Pakistani anti-American attitudes and implications
November 16, 2009-Many Americans find Pakistani anti-Americanism baffling. Americans see a nation whose military was built and is supported largely by American money, facing a threat from America's own enemies, whose government professes to be an American ally at every opportunity.
Celebrate the 10th Annual International Education Week
November 16, 2009-International Education Week (IEW) is a global celebration of international educational exchange and its positive impact on the world.
U.S. Embassy Uses New Media to Reach Chinese Netizens
November 16, 2009-On November 13, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing launched pages on Kaixin Wang and QQ, two leading social networking portals in China. Our collaboration with these sites uses local platforms in Chinese to communicate directly with the Chinese people. We hope that this outreach will facilitate our ability to share information and promote a dialogue at the grassroots level.
Sec. Clinton's Remarks at Shanghai Exposition USA Pavilion
November 16, 2009-“We’re grateful for your generosity and your steadfast belief in the importance of the Expo, the American role here and what this USA pavilion here can do to strengthen cooperation and partnership between the American people and the people of China.” (Video)
U.S. diplomacy lacks moral imperative in war of ideas with al-Qaeda
November 15, 2009-The U.S. is not losing the battle of perception against al-Qaeda in the Muslim world purely because they see America as a Godless society. Due to a systematic failure in public diplomacy, Muslims also see the U.S. lacking any foundational moral code whatsoever – divine, Kantian or otherwise.
Foreign Aid, Heal Thyself: Rx for a New Approach on Development
November 15, 2009-You cannot turn on the news or open a browser without drowning in stories about health care legislation. Make no mistake, this is a singularly important...In fact, health care could be seen as a metaphor for another pressing issue, one that demands our full attention. To that end, the White House announced a new Presidential appointment last week. Its a decision whose implications could be life-changing in terms of US foreign policy.
Hillary's new 'blank page'
November 14, 2009-What successive US leaders over the past 60 years couldn't do, Hillary Clinton, during her first-ever visit to this country as secretary of state, has done. Despite the agitated mood in the country over the Kerry-Lugar Bill (KLB) issue, she managed to reach out to the people of Pakistan plunging into an unprecedented public diplomacy and communicating directly with a cross-section of our society.
Hillary converse with real Pakistan
November 15, 2009-Under normal circumstances, nations communicate through traditional diplomatic channels. The American Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s three-day October visit of Pakistan was out of the ordinary, as she made extra efforts to enter into a dialogue with the vibrant civil society, visibly bypassing the establishment and government functionaries.
Muslim ‘image campaigns suffer’ after Fort Hood shootings
November 07, 2009-"One incident like this can just completely erase five years of building up confidence in the mainstream American community that we're no different," says Ray Hanania, "It's always a setback when there is an act of violence
Hands OFF!
November 07, 2009-The conference focused on some interesting concepts of cultural diplomacy. The panelist came to the conclusion that the US does not value a nationally defined culture. When trying to promote cultural diplomacy (aka trying to get money from the US government) it becomes tricky. But here’s the thing, the US culture is this idea that we don’t have a defined culture. That’s a part of what makes ‘us’ us.
Revitalizing Iraq's Youth, One School at a Time
November 07, 2009- The project was a combined initiative between the Kirkuk PRT, the Director General of Education, and U.S. forces in Iraq, in an effort to improve the educational infrastructure and environment in Kirkuk province. "The overall goal is to assist the Directorate of Education in fulfilling its goals in the province by helping to build its capacity to provide high quality education to all in Kirkuk province…
Cultural diplomacy doesn't change how countries do business
November 06, 2009-The trouble with cultural diplomacy – don't get me wrong, I like cultural diplomacy – is that it is redundant. Culture is diplomacy. The medium in which the arts swim is not really words or deeds but imagination. Cultural diplomacy cannot pretend to change how countries do business and probably should not even try
VOA correspondent wins international broadcasting award for Sri Lanka coverage
November 06, 2009- Voice of America (VOA) correspondent Steve Herman was recognized by the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) for his coverage of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
Pesta Blogger 2009: Broadening the scope of Public Diplomacy
November 06, 2009- The US state department Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, is sponsoring Pesta Blogger 2009 - Indonesia’s only national-level bloggers’ gathering.
Portland remembers reunification with ‘A wall of talent’
November 06, 2009- The fall of the Berlin Wall stands as a highlight in German history, and this week the German American Society of Portland commemorates the event with German Culture Week 2009. The German American Society of Portland has cooked up seven days of culture from the fatherland for the event…
Inside the American University of Iraq
November 07, 2009- The brochure for the American University of Iraq features a picture of an enormous, modern-looking building that does not exist. The actual building is nice enough but much more modest. The teachers and students conduct classes outside in rows of box-shaped huts set up in front of the building.
A Year of Living Dangerously: Expectations Undermining Public Diplomacy
November 4, 2009- International expectations went through the roof one year ago today with the election of Barack Obama. The United Stated had elected the man whom many across the globe expected to be the anti-Bush. As controversial abroad as President Bush’s stance on the long war against terrorism had been, just as euphoric was the reaction to the election of the Democratic presidential nominee.
Job opening: Strategic Communications Officer
November 3, 2009- Many use “strategic communication” (the singular form is most common) and “public diplomacy” as synonyms. While I have done the same, they are actually different.
U.S. allocates more funds to anti-Iran broadcasts?
November 3, 2009- The United States has incorporated a bill into its annual military budget, which will allocate millions of dollars for Persian-language broadcasts.
Reading Ramadan in Istanbul
November 3, 2009- This year in Istanbul, the flags on Republic Day seemed extra large. It wasn't a special anniversary year. Turkey was celebrating its 86th year as a modern secular state. Nevertheless, the sheer number of flags - 60,000 hanging from government buildings, draped across skyscrapers, dominating squares - was unprecedented.
What does Twitter mean for foreign policy?
November 2, 2009- Defiant protests in the wake of Iran’s disputed presidential election in June showed how tweets could help challenge the grip of authoritarian governments. However, the Iranian protesters’ ability to harness social media also poses some sticky foreign policy questions for Washington.
How TV is making the world a better place
November 2, 2009- watching television, he wanted more time for “real life” than the goggle box. “I appreciate many people may enjoy television,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s good for me.”
He is far from alone in voicing unease at the nation’s most popular pastime. Earlier this year Jeremy Paxman dismissed the British public as a “bunch of barbarians” for watching television rather than reading books or visiting art galleries.
Scholar, Student, or Academic: words shape perceptions
November 2, 2009- Words matter. They are the first introduction we have to groups, people, places, and events. Any person in public relations can tell you their importance in conveying an idea. First impressions matter and different words will cause different reactions (emotional) or conclusions (logical).
Kaust and Social Networking: The New Face of Saudi Arabia
November 2, 2009- Twitter has had a phenomenological influence on the international news media in the post-Iranian elections period in June 2009 onwards
Troop Increases? What about the Other Side of the Foreign Policy Coin?
November 2, 2009- More than eight months after President Obama took office, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) remains without an Administrator. While an announcement could happen imminently, the agency -- and indeed the entire U.S. government -- has lacked a politically-empowered figure dedicated solely to U.S. global development policy during a time of unprecedented stock-taking on these issues in the U.S. government.
The New Rules: When Contractors Fill America's Foreign Policy Gap
November 2, 2009- Much ink has been spilt over the question of whether or not globalization leads to the "death" of the nation-state, or at least its eclipse by a rising tide of super-empowered non-state actors -- especially multinational corporations. On this score, history has been fairly clear: States that score high on globalization connectivity typically feature governments with extensive regulatory reach and strong enforcement capacity -- not exactly the demise of the public sector.
Romania: MAE to use Twitter to quench suspicion of ballot box fraud abroad
November 2, 2009- Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) will present on Twitter the organization abroad of the November 22 presidential election, and this initiative is sought as an exercise in transparency over the election, Director General of the MAE Public Diplomacy Department Oana Marinescu told a news conference on Monday.
U.S. allocates more funds to anti-Iran broadcasts
November 1, 2009- The United States has incorporated a bill into its annual military budget, which will allocate millions of dollars for Persian-language broadcasts.
Former U.S. official: Resignation over Afghan war is drawing support
October 31, 2009- A State Department employee who resigned last month in protest over America's war in Afghanistan said Friday he has received an outpouring of support from Afghan-Americans and U.S. active-duty military.
Blood and political ties do not make one a great diplomat
October 31, 2009- Considering the obvious blood and political relationships between a number of recently appointed ambassadors and prominent politicians, the largely negative public reaction is understandable.
Engaging with the Muslim World Will Require More than a Special Representative
October 26, 2009- A key facet of the Obama administration's broader foreign policy strategy has been engaging with the Muslim world. This administration's willingness to do so was welcomed as a beacon of hope across the globe and Obama's speeches in the Middle East this spring brought long awaited overtures between America and Muslim communities.
11/19/2009 3:39:05 PM
11/19/2009 3:36:02 PM
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