"I was a mid-level officer in the Public Diplomacy cone, and how dare I think or write about world events and policy?"
--Noziglia; image from
"They are making a hashtag of our foreign policy."
--Paterrico's Pontifications, regarding the use of Twitter by the State Department
U.S. DIPLOMACY CENTER
Department of State and GSA Announce Contract for Construction of U.S. Diplomacy Center - Media Note, Office of the Spokesperson, Washington, DC, May 1, 2014, state.gov: "Today, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the award of a $25 million contract to begin construction of the U.S. Diplomacy Center—the nation’s first museum and education center devoted exclusively to exploring the history, practice, and challenges of U.S. Diplomacy. The project is privately funded with donations to build a 21st century, state-of-the-art glass pavilion
that will become a new public entrance at the Department of State’s headquarters. ... Situated only two blocks from the National Mall, the new U.S. Diplomacy Center pavilion will provide an exciting new educational destination for visitors to Washington, D.C. It will house interactive technology and exhibits to foster an engaging environment where the public can learn about the importance of diplomacy and those who practice it. The project is funded by private institutional and individual donors through the Diplomacy Center Foundation. In 2000, a group of former diplomats formed the Diplomacy Center Foundation with the goal of raising money to build a public facility to honor U.S. diplomacy. The project has enjoyed the support of all subsequent Secretaries as part of an effort to highlight the importance of U.S. diplomacy." Image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Obama in Asia: Words and Deeds - Gregory Kulacki, allthingsnuclear.org: "President Obama often mentions the 'new model of relations' he is seeking with China, and he told the Japanese press that both nations 'have to resist the danger of slipping into conflict.' But his visit focused almost exclusively on the military steps his administration is taking to address that danger. ... The interests of the
United States
in Asia would be better served by offering a more honest, constructive and balanced mix of words and deeds that both
China
and its neighbors found encouraging. That would be easier if the President took the Senate’s advice, and used his influence in the region to shift the discussion about
Asia
’s future away from intractable historical disputes that an earlier generation of Asian leaders wisely set aside in order to focus on increasing economic opportunity, improving public diplomacy and facilitating regional cooperation. Image from entry, with caption: President Obama addresses U.S. forces in South Korea during his recent trip to Asia.
Kerry’s Propaganda War on Russia’s RT - Ray McGovern, Consortium News: "Kerry was warned three years ago by his predecessor of the steady strides being made by RT – as well as Al-Jazeera and CCTV (the new English-language programming set up by China). At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with then-Sen. Kerry in the chair, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lamented that the U.S. is 'losing the information war,' and added that she finds watching RT 'quite instructive.' Are Kerry and Clinton unable to grasp that the U.S. corporate media’s regurgitation of the manifold and manifestly deceitful justifications for U.S. actions abroad is the main reason why RT and others are gaining on us? Despite awesome advances in communications technology, it remains difficult to make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear, which is often what U.S. policies abroad are, especially to the people of the targeted countries. It is easy to blame 'Russian propaganda' for just about everything, including the public distrust of the endless propaganda pouring forth from Official Washington and its 'fawning corporate media.' But people tire of the constant spin from U.S. officials and the one-sided coverage by the U.S. mainstream press. I may be naïve about this, but I think people really do prefer the truth. Yet, it is in vogue to blame Washington’s loss of credibility on Kremlin propaganda. ... After years leading CIA’s Soviet Foreign Policy Branch, I know what effective propaganda looks like. The 'public diplomacy' effort led by Kerry and his merry propagandists at the State Department is a poor facsimile. True, Soviet propagandists played fast and loose with the truth – as all propagandists do. But they were pros at it, which led them, inter alia, to avoid embarrassing their government for the short-term gain of 24-hour spin. President Barack Obama needs to have a counseling session with Kerry, who could not resist the temptation to run with the spurious story on new registration requirements for Jews in pro-Russian eastern Ukraine. Nor could he pass up the chance to be able, finally, to adduce 'proof' of Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine by citing photos front-paged by the New York Times, with the photos and story very quickly debunked and retracted."
Who’s the Propagandist: US or RT? - Robert Parry, globalresearch.ca: "The U.S. State Department, which has been caught promoting a series of false or dubious stories about Ukraine, is trying to give some substance to Secretary of State John Kerry’s counter-complaint that Russia’s RT network is a 'propaganda bullhorn' promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 'fantasy.' In a 'Dipnote' of April 29, Richard Stengel, under secretary of state for public diplomacy, made some broad-brush criticisms of RT’s content – accusing the network of painting 'a dangerous and false picture of Ukraine’s legitimate government' by citing examples of fascism, anti-Semitism and terrorism surrounding the Kiev regime. Stengel claims he knows the difference between news and propaganda because he spent seven years as managing editor of Time. He defines propaganda as 'the deliberate dissemination of information that you know to be false or misleading in order to influence an audience' and asserts: 'RT is a distortion machine, not a news organization.' But Stengel offers no specific citations of the supposedly propagandistic stories done by RT, making it impossible to ascertain the precise wording or context of the RT content that he is criticizing. One basic rule of journalism is 'show, don’t tell,' but Stengel apparently didn’t learn that during his seven years in the top echelon of Time magazine. ... As for Stengel’s office of 'public diplomacy,' it is a segment of the State Department that I have personally dealt with since the 1980s during my days covering the Reagan administration’s Central America policies for the Associated Press and Newsweek. Back then, some of us referred to the 'PD' office as 'the office of propaganda and disinformation' because of the endless distortions and lies generated in support of U.S.-backed 'death squad' regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala and for Ronald Reagan’s beloved Nicaraguan Contra rebels who fairly could be called 'terrorist' given their proclivity for slaughtering and raping Nicaraguan civilians and for collaborating with cocaine traffickers to make money on the side. ... That Stengel, the current master of the State Department’s 'public diplomacy' operation, is now offended by what he considers 'propaganda' by RT has to be considered one of the purest expressions of hypocrisy in the long history of U.S. government hypocrisy." See also (1)
'You Must Hate RT!' Demands Latest State Department Propaganda - Daniel McAdams, ronpaulinstitute.org: "State Department watchers will have noticed over the past several weeks a noticeable up tick in the frequency of English-language propaganda dispatched from the Department obviously aimed at a
US
audience. Packaged as 'DipNotes,' these missives have become so at odds with objective reality that one wonders whether State.gov has somehow been hacked. The latest 'DipNote' is a full-frontal attack on the 24 hour news channel, RT. Leaving aside the matter of whether the US taxpayer should be forced to fund its diplomats attacking overseas media (while the Department itself funds entire networks of overseas media as long as they toe the US government line), the attack itself comes off as bizarre, shrill, and almost desperate. ... What really riles the State Department about RT is that the latter dares to feature guests and opinions that challenge the US government and US mainstream media line on a variety of issues. Independent-minded guests like Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Lawrence Wilkerson, various Cato Institute and Reason employees, and many others whose opinions and perspectives are nearly completely ignored by the US mainstream media often find themselves welcome on RT. Individuals who challenge the warfare-welfare state in the US are often featured on RT. Those opinions are important to hear and consider regardless of whom is funding the network."
Can Congress Make Journalists Do Propaganda? A House bill seeks to change Voice of America from a news provider to a U.S. promoter - Alex Brown, nationaljournal.com: “It's not often the U.S.government tries to emulate its Russian counterparts. But a bill currently making its way through the House directs a U.S.-funded news outlet to mirror the Kremlin's propaganda machine.
Russia
's incursion into
Ukraine
has been backed with strong messaging, said Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, and the
U.S.
needs to counter-message. ‘The Russian propaganda machine is now in overdrive in its attempts to undermine regional stability,’ Royce said after the International Communications Reform Act passed his committee. ‘
U.S.
broadcasters are competing with a hand tied behind their back.’
Royce's bill changes the mission of Voice of America, a federally funded news outlet that provides radio broadcasts and Internet media around the globe. VOA says its mission is to provide ‘accurate, objective, and comprehensive news,’ especially in closed societies. One government official who has worked on international broadcasting issues described VOA's role as ‘putting itself out of business.’ While it provides citizens with information they wouldn't otherwise get, its goal is to produce free and open societies where VOA is no longer needed. ‘[VOA is] providing the news and information that societies lack,’ said the official. ‘It operates where the media doesn't exist, or where it's constrained, or where people don't have access.... It creates an environment in which the people are empowered, because it doesn't just disseminate information; it creates a conversation.’ But Royce thinks that role needs to change. ‘This legislation makes clear that the Voice of America mission is to support
U.S.
public diplomacy efforts,’ said his release. RT,
Russia
's propaganda outlet, trolled VOA in a Wednesday post. ‘Reform legislation in the House would change the language of Voice of America's mission to demand adherence to U.S. foreign policy directives, … calling into question how much editorial independence Voice of America will have left,’ RT wrote.” Image from entry, with caption: Voice Of America Afghan Service broadcaster Daoud Sediqi listens to a caller during a 2009 show.
Lawmakers Push Changes for Voice of America - Denver Nicks, time.com: "Legislation to restructure the organization overseeing the government-funded media outlet Voice of America advanced in the House this week, a measure that proponents say would bring it closer in line with U.S. policy but critics fear could turn the storied news service into a a propaganda tool. The U.S. International Communications Reform Act, which passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, would, among other things, make 'clear that the Voice of America mission is to support U.S. public diplomacy efforts,['] according to a summary of the bill. The bill’s authors say that over time, VOA has abandoned the mission outlined in its charter to provide a 'clear and effective presentation of the policies of the United States. 'We pay for the VOA to provide news that supports our national security objectives,' Shane Wolfe, a spokesman for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by bill co-sponsor Rep. Ed Royce (R—CA), told TIME. Supporters hope the measure will strengthen VOA by streamlining operations and clarifying the VOA mission. ... The bill would replace the Broadcasting Board of Governors that currently oversees VOA with a new office to be called the U.S. International Communications Agency led by a new chief executive. ... Shane Wolfe dismissed the idea that supporting U.S. 'public diplomacy efforts' is tantamount to propaganda. 'The U.S. spends a lot of money every year to help people in foreign countries; we do a lot of good in the world. Unfortunately, those stories don’t make it to BBC, Al Jazeera, RT (Russia Today), or CCTV (China),' he said. 'Most of those outlets tell stories that often deride the United States. If VOA is not in the business of telling those good stories, and otherwise reporting on U.S. policy, who is?'”
Congress seeks more control over government news agency - Julian Pecquet - al-monitor.com: "On April 30, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved reforms to the government news agency that require it to promote US foreign policy goals and give Congress greater oversight over its operations, notably in the Middle East. ... 'Traveling to Eastern Ukraine, our delegation witnessed the Russian propaganda machine — now in overdrive — and its attempts to undermine regional stability,' committee chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said at Wednesday's mark-up. 'Unfortunately, US broadcasters — the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and others — are competing with a hand tied behind their back.' ... The bill would require that Voice of America produce 'accurate' and 'objective' content that nevertheless 'is consistent with and promotes the broad foreign policies of the United States.' The mission of the broadcaster, which has a Farsi service but no longer broadcasts in Arabic, would be focused more narrowly on bringing US news to a foreign audience.
The proposal has outraged many Voice of America journalists. They fear a service that has long strived to appear independent of the government will end up operating like the Russian and Chinese foreign-language services, whose broadcasts closely toe the government line. ... While the Ukrainian crisis is dominating the headlines, the proposed changes follow years of congressional criticism about Middle East coverage in particular. The replacement of Voice of America's Arabic service by Radio Sawa, a mix of pop music interspersed with news, outraged many lawmakers a decade ago. Republicans have also objected to what they called the pro-Iranian tilt of VOA's Persian News Network and are now fighting plans to terminate Radio Free Iraq. 'There has been a lot controversy over Middle East broadcasting, going back to the 1990s,' Helle Dale, a senior fellow for public diplomacy with the conservative Heritage Foundation, told Al-Monitor." Image from entry, with caption: Voice Of America Afghan Service broadcaster Daoud Sediqi listens to a caller during a show in Washington, DC, Sept. 16, 2009
Op-Ed: No propaganda, Voice of America need not fear reform bill - Ted Lipien, digitaljournal.com: "Mismanagement by senior executives threatens journalistic independence of Voice of America (VOA) much more than the bipartisan bill in Congress designed to reform U.S. international media outreach. There will be no government propaganda from VOA. ... Those who say that VOA could become like Russia’s RT or China’s CCTV have little knowledge of Russian and Chinese regimes and their propaganda, and little faith in America’s legislative tradition and commitment to freedom. ... The legislation tries to fix what has become a 'defunct' organization, to use Hillary Clinton’s description, much of it due to mismanagement by senior executives. VOA journalists should be assured that they will remain federal employees and that VOA will be separated from the surrogate pro-democracy media outlets such as Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). This should increase VOA's journalistic independence, not decrease it. It should also vastly increase effectiveness of surrogate news services to countries like Russia, eastern Ukraine, China, Tibet, Iran, and others that still need surrogate local free media. VOA executives and former International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) managers are themselves responsible, along with some former Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) members, for this bill being proposed in the first place. If they had not mismanaged the organization and ignored the VOA Charter, we would not be even having this discussion. ... Critics of the U.S. broadcasting reform bill are concerned that it places too much emphasis on U.S. public diplomacy, but the bill does not go as far as the public diplomacy component within the former United States Information Agency (USIA), under which VOA had operated. In later years, while still under USIA, VOA was able to preserve its journalistic independence thanks to the VOA Charter. Even BBC serves a public diplomacy role for Great Britain and does it through its outstanding world news service in many languages. VOA cannot be like BBC. It should accept a more modest role -- serving those who are most repressed and most deprived of access to news and information while at the same time telling America's story to the world. ... Congress is not going to fund VOA without specifying its mission at least in general terms, especially now that the Smith-Mundt Act has been modified to allow domestic distribution of VOA content. If some people think that this could happen -- Congress letting a VOA director do whatever he or she wants, allow distribution of programs in the U.S. while also increasing VOA budget year to year -- they are simply dreaming. ... If the bill does become law, then VOA has a chance of survival and can hope for better management and more funding, both of which are critically needed. Some modifications in the bill to strengthen journalistic independence would be highly desirable, but without any new legislation there is no hope for reform that could save VOA and its pure and noble mission."
As effort to reform Voice of America starts in Congress, VOA uses Reuters to report on Obama Europe trip, is four hours late - BGG Watcher, BBG Watch: "Voice of
America
executives were too busy today meeting behind closed doors to decide how to report on the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s bipartisan effort to address their dysfunctional management that they failed to arrange for coverage of Vice President Biden’s speech to the Atlantic Council. While VOA executives closely supervised the writing of a news report on the U.S. international broadcasting reform, Vice President Biden’s announcement that President Obama will
visit NATO countries in Europe in June was not reported by VOA News for more than four hours while other U.S. and international media outlets were providing their news reports and details of the announcement. Image from entry, with caption: Voice of America Screen Shot 2014-04-30 at 6.47PM EDT. The five-sentence report from Reuters was posted by VOA four hours late. As of 6:00 PM EDT, the report had only one Facebook Share. See also (1) (2) (3) (4)
Our State Department: Living By The Promise Of Hashtag . . . And Following Their Hashtag With Action - patterico.com: If that headline made no sense to you, you probably don’t belong at the U.S. State Department:
Jen Psaki ✔ @statedeptspox
Follow
The world stands #UnitedforUkraine. Let’s hope that the #Kremlin & @mfa_russia will live by the promise of hashtag
7:11 PM - 24 Apr 2014
Not inane enough yet? Oh, it gets stupider:
Noah Rothman @NoahCRothman
Follow
"They have not been following up their hash tag with actions." - Jen Psaki on Russian militarism... I'm turning red with embarrassment.
...
They are making a hashtag of our foreign policy."
Senior US Official Talks Press Freedom With Burmese Minister - Kyaw Hsu Mon, irrawaddy.org: "In his first ever visit to Burma, the US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs raised concerns with Burma’s information minister about the recent arrest of Burmese journalists. Richard Stengel met on Monday and Tuesday in Naypyidaw with Information Minister Aung Kyi, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and Culture Minister Aye Myint Kyu, to discuss press freedom, bilateral relations and cultural exchanges.
The US undersecretary told reporters in Rangoon on Tuesday that the Burma government had taken important steps to cultivate an environment conducive to free, fair and independent media, which he said was a critical element of democracy. 'However, in the past few months, the United States has watched with concern the arrest and sentencing of journalists trying to cover stories. These arrests raise questions about the extent of the government’s commitment to freedom of the press,' he added. Image from entry, with caption: US Undersecretary Richard Stengel speaks to reporters in Rangoon on Tuesday following a two-day visit to Naypyidaw, where he raised concerns about press freedoms with government officials.
US urges 'change of mindset' from govt toward media - Nyan Lynn Aung, mmtimes.com: "The United States has expressed concern over recent arrests and jailing of journalists and urged the government to adopt a 'change of mindset' into how it deals with the media, a senior official says. Richard Stengel, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, said on May 29 that it was also important journalists improve their skills and reporting standards, particularly with the 2015 election approaching. He also pledged more US support for the training of journalists. ... Mr Stengel said that it was clear in his meetings that many government officials are not comfortable acting as spokespersons for their ministries or the government because they are worried about the ramifications of saying the wrong thing. ... A former editor of Time magazine, Mr Stengel said since joining President Obama's government in September 2013 he has realised that governments often do not take advantage of their role when dealing with the media. 'By taking advantage, I mean that they should be communicating, saying what they're going to do and talking about their reasons and motivations. That's the way that they can sell their policy to the public.'" See also.
UNDP Chairman highlighted ongoing crisis in Burma - burmatimes.net: "Eng. Abu Tahay, chairman of the Union Nationals Development Party (UNDP) discussed the following points with under Secretary of United States for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Mr. Richard Stengel at US Ambassador’s residence at 7pm today. ... Mr. Richard Stengel assured to the honorable UNDP chairman that US will be working with Burma until the all nationalities including Rohingya of Burma can get the equality, freedom and tranquility."
Granger highlights successes of U.S. aid to Africa - riponadvance.com: "Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) said on Tuesday that U.S. aid to Africa has helped fight disease, maintain peace and build goodwill.
Granger, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operation and Related Programs, delivered her remarks during a hearing on U.S. assistance to Africa. 'We have seen proven results from some of the investments already made — such as life-saving programs in HIV/AIDS, malaria and maternal and child health — and conservation programs that have helped countries manage and protect Africa’s unique natural resources,' Granger said. 'Our investments pay dividends in public diplomacy. In Africa, opinions of the United States rank among the highest in the world.' Granger said $6.9 billion, or 35 percent, of the fiscal year 2015 budget request for state and U.S. Agency for International Development aid is for Sub-Saharan Africa. Granger image from entry
U.S. official on Bucharest visit, met Romanian political leaders - actmedia.eu [subcription]: "Hoyt Yee, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs with the U.S. Department of State, was in Bucharest on Tuesday as part of a routine tour through region, the Public Diplomacy Office of the U.S. Embassy in Romania informed at the request of Agerpres. According to the cited source, the American official is to meet various Romanian leaders."
Duckenfield Appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at U.S. Department of State - hispanicprblog.com: "David Duckenfield, President of Balsera Communications, has been appointed deputy assistant secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State beginning May 5, 2014, it was announced today. In this new role, Duckenfield
will lead the State Department’s public liaison and domestic outreach efforts as well as its intergovernmental functions and the U.S. Diplomacy Center. He will assist the Bureau of Public Affairs in carrying out its mission to further U.S. foreign policy and national security interests and broaden understanding of American values by communicating with the American people and global audiences. ... Duckenfield began his career as a Foreign Service Officer for the United States Information Agency (now part of the U.S. State Department Undersecretariat for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs), where he served in Mexico City and Bogota, Colombia in a variety of public affairs roles." Duckenfield image from entry; see also.
The Score - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "So I am running a hip hop diplomacy program for the State Dept, called Next Level. My job is to take MCs, DJs, Breakdancers and Beatmakers to India, Bangladesh, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Serbia and Bosnia. We had our orientation this week. We have some amazing talents, and real pioneers in hip hop. I am taking Diamond D to Serbia. If you remember, Diamond D produced The Fugees album 'The Score.' He won a Grammy for it."
Diplomacy and Security Issues after 9/11 Attack - meefroism.blogspot.com: "[A]weapon in the fight against terrorism that has often been neglected, however, is public diplomacy, which includes diplomacy and the use of information in order to influence foreign public opinion about the United States’ foreign policy goals. The use of information and diplomacy, which are often referred to as forms of 'soft power,' may be considered part of the information war, which is conducted together with the 'hard power' conflict that is carried out using military and economic means. There are still no clear results regarding the success of the use of U.S. military power in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it has become clear that the United States is losing the war of ideas, and that the international public is starting to express doubts about the war on terrorism."
Zabul Attack: Spox Says State Dept Did Its Own Review, It’s Classified, and There’s Now a Checklist! – Domani Spero,diplopundit.net: "As can be expected, the Chicago Tribune report citing an army investigation into the death of FSO Anne Smedinghoff and four others in
Zabul
,
Afghanistan
in April 2013 made it to the Daily Press Briefing. ... QUESTION: So quickly on that Chicago paper report citing the army military unit investigation of the death of Anne Smedinghoff and other injuries there linked to State Department. The report makes a lot of accusations that point back to the State Department. 'State says that there was coordination with DOD in advance of the mission.' ... [State Department spokesperson] MS. PSAKI:... And let me say first of all too, of course, that regardless of that piece, the attack on – that took the life of Anne Smedinghoff, an Afghan American translator, and three members of the U.S. military and severely injured several others was a terrible tragedy, and one that, as you all know, people across this building and across the world who work at the State Department remember every day. The only people responsible for this tragedy were the extremists opposed to the many brave Afghans and Americans who have sacrificed so much to help build a stronger, more stable Afghanistan. And what they were doing that day was participating in an outreach event that was part of a nationwide public diplomacy initiative highlighting cooperation between the United States and Afghans in a number of areas. And that’s a program that we’ve been proud of and was underway for weeks there."
State Seeks Input on Making Program Material Available - Shannon Allen, regulatorypractice.blogspot.com: "The United States Department of State ('DOS')
issued an interim final rule amending regulations to implement Section 1078 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 ('NDAA'); and seeks input on changing the availability of Public Diplomacy Program Materials in the United States. U.S. public diplomacy outreach includes ['] communications with foreign audiences abroad through Program Material. . . .' The DOS is amending prior law to permit the DOS and the Broadcasting Board of Governors ('BBG') to now 'make public diplomacy program material available within the United States, upon request, following the dissemination of such material abroad . . .' The U.S. public diplomacy mission is to support the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives, advance national interests, and enhance national security by certain means. Section 501 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, as amended (22 U.S.C. 1461; 'the Smith-Mundt Act') ('Section 501'), governs the domestic distribution of certain information about the United States, its people, and policies ('Program Material') prepared for dissemination abroad. Section 208 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 (22 U.S.C. 1461-1a) ('Section 208') governs the creation of such (Program Material) material for the purpose of influencing domestic public opinion. The NDAA amends and clarifies Section 501 and Section 208. Prior to NDAA, 'such material could not be disseminated within the United States . . . .' Revised Section 501 permits the DOS and/or the BBG to make such Program Material available within the U.S. Both the DOS and the BBG must issue necessary regulations: to establish procedures to maintain such material, for reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred in fulfilling requests for such material, and to ensure that persons seeking the release of such material have secured and paid for necessary U.S. rights and licenses. (The BBG published its interim final rule on July 2, 2013, with a final rule published on November 8, 2013 (78 FR 67025).) According to the DOS, this interim final rule: benefits the public, media, and other organizations by allowing them to request and access DOS Program Material, which previously could not be disseminated within the United States; will not have a substantial direct effect on the states, on the relationship between the national government and the states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government; is in response to a statutory requirement that will make more information available to the public; therefore, the benefits of the rulemaking outweigh any costs; will not have a significant impact upon small businesses; will not have tribal implications, will not impose substantial direct compliance costs on Indian tribal governments, and will not pre-empt tribal law; and will not result in the expenditure by State, local and tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million in any year and it will not significantly or uniquely affect small governments. The DOS has determined that normal public rulemaking procedures are not practical, not necessary, and that there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(b) (B) and (d)(3) to exempt this interim final rule from public rulemaking procedures and to implement it upon publication. In the interests of transparency and public participation, however, the DOS is publishing this rule as an interim final rule with a 60-day provision for public comment. This interim final rule will be implemented as of April 21, 2014. However, the DOS will accept comments on the interim final rule from the public until June 20, 2014. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods: Online: Persons with access to the Internet may view this rule and provide comments by going to the regulations.gov Web site at: http://www.regulations.gov; Mail (paper, disk, or CD-ROM submission): Director, Office of Policy and Outreach, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, State Annex 5 (SA-5), Floor 5, 2200 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-0505; or Email: IIP_Inquiries@state.gov. RIN (1400-AD50) must be included in the subject line." Image from
FRINFORMSUM 5/1/2014: Modest Nuclear Stockpile Drop, Cybersecurity Issues, a Corrupt DHS Inspector General, and Much More - nsarchive.wordpress.com: “Finally this week, our #tbt document pick –inspired by the State Department’s recent easing of the restrictions allowing the Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors to make foreign public diplomacy program material (i.e. propaganda) available to US requesters– is the Pentagon’s October 2003 Iraq War propaganda ‘roadmap.’ The secret Pentagon ‘roadmap,’ declassified thanks to an Archive FOIA request in 2006, calls for ‘boundaries’ between ‘information operations’ abroad and at home but provides no actual limits as long as US doesn’t ‘target’ Americans.”
New study, website focus on strengthening US-China connections - Elizabeth Krane, blog.uscannenberg.org: "The
United States
and
China
are more closely connected than ever before, but surveys show that trust between the two countries has declined in the last three years. At a time when global collaborations are crucial for tackling issues like climate change, how can the US and China build trust despite differences in values, politics, and communication styles? The Millenials offer hope: ‘While majorities of Americans and Chinese see the other country in a negative light, half of those under age 30 have a favorable impression of the other country,’ states a report just released by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Peking University School for International Studies. The report stresses the importance of engaging young people in ‘next generation public diplomacy’ through new communication platforms and technologies like social media. ‘There is much energy and attention focused on official Washington-Beijing based talks and too little financial support for and focus on people-to-people engagement.’ The report, titled ‘Building U.S.-China Trust: Through NextGeneration People, Platforms and Programs,’ was created by a commission of experts led by USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III and Wang Jisi, director of Peking University’s Institute for International and Strategic Studies."
NATO Countries Planning Comms Mission in Ukraine: Russia's extreme propaganda, 'haplessness' of Ukrainian military requires strategic fix - Paul D. Shinkman, usnews.com: "NATO countries may be ramping up their war of words in the coming weeks in Ukraine, where Russian propaganda flows freely into the east while ill-prepared security forces can't even talk to one another. Multiple officials who spoke with U.S. News say planning is underway to bolster the Ukrainian government’s ability to communicate among its security services and broadcast to the general public.
The details are still being worked out, including whether this would require troops from NATO countries on the ground in Ukraine to train and support the effort. ... 'NATO Allies are actively considering ways to further strengthen our long-standing cooperation with Ukraine, including in the area of public diplomacy,' the official said by email, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'Allies are also providing assistance to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.' ... The need to send a message to ... [Ukraine's] citizens and to Russia alike reflects a cold truth in eastern Ukraine, where many lived through the Cold War and learned to speak the prerequisite Russian." Image from entry, with caption: Pro-Russian activists watch a Russian news report outside the security services building Wednesday in Lugansk, Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill meets Rossotrudnichestvo Federal Agency director K. Kosachev - theorthodoxchurch.info: "On April 25, 2014, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with director of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), K. Kosachev. In attendance were also Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov) a DECR deputy head, and Hierodeacon Roman (Kiselev) of the DECR secretariat for far-abroad countries. Representing Rossotrudnichestvo were also A. Khomenko, chief of the directorate for compatriots and public diplomacy, and S. Medvedev, chief of the directorate for Russian centers for science, culture and all-round cooperation in the CIS space. ... Patriarch Kirill noted that the cooperation with Rossotrudnichestvo had fruitfully developed for a long time. 'As far back as the time when I was head of the Department for External Church Relations, I was already fully aware of the importance of this cooperation. Visiting remote countries, in which we had no parishes at that time, I could see how much people abroad were attracted to our cultural centers, and already at that time we conducted services in many such places', he said. He made a special mention of the cooperation with Rossotrudnichestvo institutions in South-East Asia. His Holiness underscored as especially important the work for teaching Russian and Russian culture to people abroad.
'This work is carried out by our Sunday schools, but mostly with adults', he explained. 'The same work is carried out by your institutions. And, as I have already mentioned, in a number of countries, our cooperation has proved to be very effective'. Mr. K. Kosachev, in his turn, testified that 'we have carried out a fruitful and effective work with the Russian Orthodox Church’s parishes abroad. For us it is not just partnership but a very important support in all our initiatives, because the Russian World abroad is gathering, first of all, around the Russian Orthodox Church. Where there are no Russian cultural centers, it is sometimes the only place where our compatriots can gather together'. He also pointed to the importance of cultural, educational and scientific projects as providing for Russia’s humanitarian presence abroad and eventually contributing to the consolidation of relations among nations." Uncaptioned image from entry
Russian policy in Ukraine, Mideast not just about Putin - Maxim A. Suchkov, al-monitor.com: "As an external power,
Russia
needs regional partners, ideally allies, to manage developing Islamic demographics and to counter its own Islamist challenges in the Caucasus, the Volga region and now the
Crimea
. Thus,
Moscow
is in constant pursuit of a balance between
a pragmatic, interest-based foreign policy in the
Middle East
and its own domestic challenges and trends. In this respect, it has obtained observer status at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, maintains healthy cooperative ties with Israel and tries to enlist support for its foreign policy initiatives through the channels of its own ‘Islamic public diplomacy.’” Image from entry, with caption: Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a live broadcast nationwide phone-in in Moscow, April 17, 2014.
Baku sees no changes in Nagorno-Karabakh settlement - Elchin Mehdiyev, en.trend.az: "Baku does not see any changes in the situation over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told media on April 28.
'Armenia must assess the current situation which may worsen in the country and around it,' he added. 'The Armenian leadership must think it over.' ... 'Perhaps, the Armenian public can compel the country's leadership to assess the situation, Azerbaijan's position through public diplomacy,' he added." Uncaptioned image from entry
Georgia: Women Take Lead in Informal Peace-Building - Heather Yundt, IWPR Ge