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

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PRESS AND BLOG REVIEW, JANUARY 11-13, 2008
by John H. Brown

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PRESS AND BLOG REVIEW, JANUARY 11-13   “Well, strictly speaking, we don’t have one, but me and three others are working on it.” —Gust Avrakotos, the CIA operative in Mike Nichols’ film, “Charlie Wilson’s War,” talking about the US strategy in Afghanistan during the Reagan administration; cited in Paul Kengor, “Whose War? Separating Fact from Fiction in ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’” (American Thinker, January 12) LINK REPORT Arab Media and US Policy: A Public Diplomacy Reset - Marwan M. Kraidy (Stanley Foundation, January 2008) LINK Courtesy Bruce Gregory SITE OF INTEREST Inside Iraq LINK via LINK VIDEOS a) Japanese American Internment (US Govt Propaganda) LINK b) Bush In Israel – Jon Stewart LINK EXHIBIT “Over the Top: American Posters From World War I.” Falling somewhere between publicity and propaganda, these images from 1917 to 1919 were designed, for the most part, to sell war bonds. In a larger sense, they were advertisements for the war itself. —Michael O’Sullivan, “Nothing Subtle in the Art of War” (Washington Post, January 11) LINK A) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (1-17) 1. Best and Worst America This Week - Rami G. Khouri (Agence Global, January 9): American military bases, secret prisons, outsourced torture chambers, and covert operations around the Arab world and Asia are expanding at a rapid rate, while American democracy activists and public diplomacy officials are widely viewed around the region as anathema. LINK 2. Arab Media and US Policy: A Public Diplomacy Reset - Marwan M. Kraidy (Ikhwanweb, January 10): During the past decade, numerous polls have underscored that the reputation of the United States in the Middle East has steadily deteriorated. The lack of an international communication strategy, insufficient funds for public diplomacy, and an inadequate public diplomacy structure have been identified as problems. Above all, an understanding should emerge that the US reputation crisis cannot be resolved by communication alone, but ought to rest on smarter policies. LINK   3. Our Pakistan Problem: Turmoil Requires a Shift in U.S. Policy - Brian Katulis, Caroline Wadhams (Center for American Progress, January 11): The US government has overemphasized military solutions to fighting terrorism, and has not focused sufficiently on democracy promotion, economic development, and public diplomacy. LINK 4. Nicaragua’s President Ortega: The Balancing Act After One Year - James M. Roberts (Heritage Foundation, backgrounder #2097, January 11): Specifically, the Bush Administration should, inter alia: Increase and enhance the State Department’s public diplomacy efforts in Nicaragua to encourage the development of strong, transparent, market-based, and pro-democracy political parties, economic policies, and institutions. For its part, Congress should increase funding for public diplomacy efforts in the country. LINK 5. Why Al-Qaeda Is Losing - Gary Anderson (Washington Post, January 13): No matter how much the government may disapprove, the government’s official propaganda will be overwhelmed by the deluge, both positive and negative, from the popular media. We need to accept this fact and move on, rather than waste more millions on strategic communications “charm campaigns.” What we can do is to expose our Islamic extremist…... FULL TEXT
 
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