USC Center on Public Diplomacy | John Brown's PD Review

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Published: NOV 10, 2007 - 3:39PM PST

John Brown's Public Diplomacy Review
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 FOR NOVEMBER 8-10, 2007
by John H. Brown

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PRESS AND BLOG REVIEW, NOVEMBER 8-10 “If someone is being bombed and doesn’t like it he is not going to say ‘Ah, but we have Chuck Berry, we have The Simpsons and we have The Wheel of Fortune so it is ok.’” —Andrew Hennigan, “Making Profitable Learnings from Dubious Success of Controversial Public Diplomacy Program” (Andrew Hennigan’s Communications Blog, November 8) http://andrewhennigan.blogspot.com/2007/11/making-profitable-learnings-from.html “It made me feel slightly dumb and pathetic that its [sic] taking me so long to learn Arabic when these relatively uneducated people [Bedouins] throw around English with different accents like its [sic] nothing.” —JERSEYGIRL3975, “Jordan and an adventure in understanding public diplomacy” (The Road Less Traveled, November 8) http://theroadlesstraveled-jch.blogspot.com/2007/11/jordan-and-adventure-in-understanding.html#c2954591775090853568 IMAGES Your Turn: Things Looking Up In San Antonio (Bush visits veterans) http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2007/11/your-turn-damag.html SEE ALSO http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2007/11/bush-and-the-co.html A) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY, 1-26 1. BUSH’S OLD WORLD DISORDER - SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL (SALON, NOVEMBER 8): Gone are the days when the stern words of a senior U.S. official prevented rash action by an errant foreign leader and when the power of the U.S. served as a restraining force and promoted peaceful resolution of conflict. In the vacuum of the Bush catastrophe, nation-states pursue what they perceive to be their own interests as global conflicts proliferate. The backlash of preemptive war in Iraq gathers momentum in undermining U.S. power and prestige. The resignation last week of Bush’s close advisor, Karen Hughes, as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, whose mission was to restore the U.S. image in the world, signaled not only failure but also exhaustion. http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/11/08/musharraf_bush/ 2. CONDI EARNS C MINUS - JOHN MERCURIO (NEWSMAX, NOVEMBER 8): Condoleezza Rice arrived in Foggy Bottom in January 2005 to a standing ovation. Three years and more than 60 global trips later, Rice’s profile has plummeted, even among the conservatives who once viewed her as their ideological savior and soulmate. A key area Rice has focused on during her tenure as secretary of state is repairing America’s image abroad, for which she get a grade of C-. Explanation: Under Karen Hughes, the US budget for public diplomacy has nearly doubled in the past two years, to $900 million a year. But as Hughes acknowledged last week in announcing her departure, the U.S. repair effort is a “long-term challenge” that “will take a number of years.” SEE ALSO BELOW ITEMS 60-61. http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/rice_grade_c_minus/2007/11/08/47950.html 3. WAR STORIES: JAZZ, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, AND DIPLOMACY - CAN AMERICAN CULTURE MAKE MUSLIMS LOVE US? - FRED KAPLAN (SLATE, NOVEMBER 9): What is to be done? What should—what can—the next president do to improve America’s image in the world? There are some obvious measures. Train immigration and customs officials to lighten up; there are ways to stay on alert while making ordinary tourists feel welcome. Send speakers on foreign tours, even if they’re (within reason) critical of U.S. policies. Translate more classic American books and documents, and make them available at foreign libraries. (Another way of putting these last two ideas: Bring back the U.S. Information Agency—an independent bureau, separate…... FULL TEXT