Foreign Policy News and Commentary Update August 21, 2007

FAILING SURGE TERRORISM INDEX (FOREIGN POLICY, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER): In the
third Terrorism Index, more than 100 of America's most respected foreign-policy
experts see a world that is growing more dangerous, a national security strategy
in disrepair, and a war in Iraq that is alarmingly off course. When the experts
were asked to grade the government's handling of the Iraq war, the news was even
worse. They gave the overall effort in Iraq an average point score of just 2.9
on a 10-point scale. The government's public diplomacy record was the only
policy that scored lower.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3924&page=1
SEE ALSO
http://politics.boogietrain.nl/2007/08/20/iraq-progress-metrics/

THE PROMISE OF NOÖPOLITIK - DAVID RONFELDT AND JOHN ARQUILLA (FIRST MONDAY):
From the new postscript to this paper: '[D]ue to assorted sorry matters this
decade (some but not all involving the war in Iraq), leaders and publics around
the world have become increasingly doubtful that America is deeply dedicated to
the ideals and practices it professes. U.S. public diplomacy is on the defensive
more than ever before. ... New thinking about information strategy and strategic
communication is occurring in official circles. But in too many instances, what
has been put into practice seems to emphasize perception management, information
operations, and propaganda more than the arts of public diplomacy.'
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue12_8/ronfeldt/index.html
SEE ALSO
http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2007/08/america-neck-de.html
http://polizeros.com/2007/08/20/america-neck-deep-in-netwar-and-losing/

DIPLOMACY EFFORT REACHES OUT TO MUSLIM YOUTHS: STRIVES TO CREATE POSITIVE
VIEWS OF UNITED STATES - FARAH STOCKMAN (BOSTON GLOBE, AUGUST 18): The State
Department is launching what it says will be the first comprehensive public
diplomacy effort targeting children, hoping to shape the views of Muslim youths
ages 8 to 14 with a series of summer camps and enrichment programs designed to
counter negative images of the United States. The new initiative is the
brainchild of Karen Hughes, a confidante of President Bush who has become the
most powerful public-diplomacy czar in decades. Hughes has argued forcefully
that the US government must reach out to children younger than age 14, a
population the State Department has largely neglected because they are too young
for traditional exchange programs. Hughes modeled her program for children in
the Muslim world on American summer camps and intended to use the term "Camp
Friendship." But after critics said people abroad might associate "camp" with
reeducation camps or even the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, the State
Department switched to calling them "youth enrichment programs."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/08/18/diplomacy_effort_reaches_out_to_muslim_youths/

SEE ALSO
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/91000.pdf

CONDI, KAREN AND CAL - CHRISTOPHER DICKEY (SHADOWLAND JOURNAL, AUGUST 17):
The Bush administration has never been much for public diplomacy. Its audience
is always the American public, and if the rest of the world doesn't respond,
then there must be something fundamentally wrong with the rest of the world. But
the most recent effort to win the hearts and minds of young Muslims is surreal.
http://christopherdickey.blogspot.com/2007/08/daily-show-on-condi-rice-envoy-baseball.html


YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING - JONATHAN SALEM BASKIN (DIMBULB, AUGUST 20):
"[D]iplomacy isn't about thinking, any more than branding is. It's about
behavior. ... Finding ways to deliver such behaviors, and ways to get people
involved in them, is the communications/branding/public diplomacy challenge of
our Times. We lose the debate if all we do is talk. ... No stack of clippings
at the State Department featuring Cal [Ripken], Michelle Kwan (another important
diplomat), or similarly-staged events for their boss, Karen Hughes (a party
player who got the plum travel-the-world gig), will change the way anybody
lives. They stay focused on image and reputation, and wholly ignorant of the
behavioral reality from which those attributes emerge.
http://dimbulb.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/08/youve-got-to-be.html

KAREN HUGHES SCREWS WITH THE MUSLIMS AGAIN TO MAKE THE WORLD SAFE FOR
BASEBALL AND BOSS BUSH ?(GRUMPY LION: SNARLING LITTLE TIDBITS...) : "Yeah,
Karen, teach 'em baseball. It's a great lesson in American hypocrisy all by
itself. And they can play while they dodge bullets and bombs made in the good
ol' USA. But Karen, you might not want to walk around over there without a bunch
of troops and gunships protecting you. Some of those kids are pretty pissed off.
Their folks, too."
http://grumpylion.wordpress.com/2007/08/18/karen-hughes-screws-with-the-muslims-again-to-make-the-world-safe-for-boss-bush/


MUSLIM PR ROCKER (ROCK THE TRUTH, AUGUST 18): "You won't win over people by
dropping bombs on their heads, killing them, imprisoning them, torturing them,
and all the other 'wonderful' things 'liberation' has given the Iraqis. This
Hughes lady is just spewing HOT FART MIST, folks!!!"
http://rockthetruth.blogspot.com/2007/08/muslim-pr.html

WHILE YOU WERE OUT: A LIGHTER, SUMMERY SIDE OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY - PAUL D.
KRETKOWSKI (BEACON, AUGUST 20): Cal Ripken is now working for State as a
"special sports envoy." The legendary Orioles iron man can be expected to
connect nicely with audiences in East Asia and Latin America, where baseball and
its heroes carry a lot of weight. His work ethic and self-deprecating view of
himself are exactly what the U.S. should hope to project abroad, so good call by
Undersecretary Hughes. Los Angeles's Ozomatli, has been touring on State's
behalf and performed in Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt in July. This is a much
gutsier call by State and presumably by Karen Hughes; although Ozomatli
exemplifies L.A.'s multicultural melting pot and plays in well-known Latin,
African and American musical styles, some of their lyrics talk about American
racism and fears of a coming race war.
http://softpowerbeacon.blogspot.com/2007/08/while-you-were-out.html

KAREN HUGHES HAS DIFFICULT JOB IN 'WAGING PEACE' : THE TEXAN IS WORKING TO
CHANGE THE MINDS OF THOSE WHO DISLIKE U.S. - PATTY REINERT (HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
AUGUST 19): See Hughes out in the world, bobbing her head to the beat. See her
shaking hands, hugging toddlers, kissing babies. She's been doing this nonstop
for two years. This is her job now: to change the hearts and minds of those who
hate us ? one at a time, if she has to. ''I call it waging peace," she said. At
home, Hughes' critics deride her as a ''diplomacy czarina" spinning a thin
message of friendship while the Bush administration clings to an unpopular war,
flouts the Geneva Conventions and struggles to rub out the stains of Abu Ghraib,
Haditha and Guantanamo. Hughes' supporters, however, credit her for making
revolutionary changes at the State Department in the way U.S. embassies respond
more quickly to anti-American news reports, communicate more effectively with
the public and engage younger people in hopes of countering the influence of
violent extremists in a post-9/11 world.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5067251.html

Q&A WITH KAREN HUGHES IN LIMA, PERU: BUSH CONFIDANT HAPPY WITH HER CHOICES
(HOUSTON CHRONICLE, AUGUST 19)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/news/5067187.html

DOD PRESS BRIEFING WITH DR. WARD, CAPT. BOYNTON, MR. LEITCH ON USNS COMFORTS
FOUR-MONTH, 12-COUNTRY HUMANITARIAN MISSION TO SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA
AND THE CARIBBEAN FROM THE PENTAGON BRIEFING ROOM, ARLINGTON VA. NEWS
TRANSCRIPT (OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS), U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE): Robert Leitch, who is the director of operation Project
Hope aboard the Comfort: 'I consider myself to be part of a huge experiment.
It's called medical diplomacy and it was elaborated to me last week by the
undersecretary of State, Karen Hughes, when she visited -- a charming and
persuasive lady, and I understand entirely what the idea is.'
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4024

DWINDLING TEXAS POSSE NEARING LAST ROUNDUP KEN HERMAN (STAR-TELEGRAM.COM,
AUGUST 19): Karen Hughes roams the globe trying to make the US more popular.
http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/206772.html

GUANTANAMO BAY CHIEF PROSECUTOR DEFENDS MILITARY COMMISSIONS THE YALE LAW
JOURNAL - IN DEFENSE OF GUANTANAMO BAY - DAVID J. BETZ (PO BETZ, AUGUST 20):
"Clearly the legal issues surrounding the Guantanamo Bay camp are complex. I'd
put myself in the camp of those who think whatever the legality Guantanamo has
become a massive liability. (I wonder if just constituting field tribunals of
two captains and a major in the field and shooting those judged unlawful
combatants would have caused less damage. Bad public diplomacy to be sure; but
straightforward, cheap and legal.)"
http://wimw-dbetz.blogspot.com/2007/08/guantanamo-bay-chief-prosecutor-defends.html

AMERICA'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO HANOI CONFRONTS A GROWING CRACKDOWN ON HUMAN
RIGHTS - PATRICK TAN (ASIA SENTINEL, AUGUST 20): In his trip to the US,
Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet said 'education is the strongest link in
bringing our nations closer together." On the American side, educational and
cultural exchange programs have long been a cornerstone of public diplomacy.
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=649&Itemid=31

MONEY AND POLITICS MIX AS MOSCOW RADIO STATION DUMPS BBC - MICHAEL HEDGES
(FOLLOWTHEMEDIA.COM, AUGUST 18): Mixing media, politics and money is common in
Russia, as it is everywhere. The lesson for international broadcasters like the
BBC and governments engaged in public diplomacy is simple: the cost has gone up.
And there?s always the internet.
http://followthemedia.com/pubserve/bigradio18082007.htm

FRIGHTENING TO THINK OF U.S. TURNING INWARD - MARK TRAHANT (SEATTLE
POST-INTELLIGENCER, AUGUST 17): Our obsession with security is turning us into
an island; it's more difficult for Americans to travel around the world and for
people from other nations to come here.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/328058_trahant19.html

FORTRESS AMERICA - JANE C. LOEFFLER (FOREIGN POLICY, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER): A
citadel is rising on the banks of the Tigris. There, on the river's western
side, the United States is building the world?s largest embassy. Why is the
United States building something so large, so expensive, and so disconnected
from the realities of Iraq? In a country shattered by war, what is the meaning
of this place?
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/users/login.php?story_id=%203936&URL=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=%203936
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE ONLY TO SUBSCRIBERS

U.S. TAXPAYERS FORK OUT $1.6 BILLION FOR PROPAGANDA -Y TUMERICA TUMERICA
(OPEDNEWS, AUGUST 18): A 2006 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
reveals what we already know?that the Bush administration has been buying news.
That is, federally funded public relations contracts to report "news" that
spouts a predetermined agenda written by the Bush administration -- all while
the networks and other agencies that air the instanews disclose nothing about
the source of the information. What we did not know was how enormous the expense
was, and why the media, who may also be on the government payroll, are not
making huge efforts to publicize this finding (or maybe we know that too).
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_tumerica_070817_u_s__taxpayers_fork_.htm

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE: THE GOAL OF HASBARA IS TO DISSEMINATE GOOD NEWS
ABOUT ISRAEL, LARGELY INDEPENDENT OF WHETHER THE NEWS IS TRUE OR NOT - JONATHAN
COOK (GUARDIAN, AUGUST 20): Israel's leaders have turned the small community of
Jews in Tehran into pawns in a struggle to persuade the world that Iran is a
genocidal threat to world Jewry.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_cook/2007/08/the_propaganda_machine.html

HEZBOLLAH LAUNCHES PROPAGANDA VIDEO GAME DAVID PRICE (PC ADVISOR, AUGUST
17): Fans of Islamist propaganda and poor-quality graphics will be pleased to
hear that Hezbollah has launched a sequel to its Special Force video game.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=1209&blogid=4

CIA, FBI COMPUTERS USED FOR WIKIPEDIA EDITS - RANDALL MIKKELSEN, REUTERS
(WASHINGTON POST, AUGUST 16)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/16/AR2007081601727.html

IS WIKIPEDIA BECOMING A HUB FOR PROPAGANDA? TRACKING WEBSITE SHOWS THOUSANDS
OF CHANGES TO ARTICLES ORIGINATED FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES - DAVID
GEORGE-COSH (GLOBE AND MAIL, AUGUST 16)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070816.wwiki0816/BNStory/Technology/home

GERMAN EXPERT ON NAZI FILMS AND PROPAGANDA (DW-WORLD.DE, AUGUST 12) Film
expert Gerd Albrecht: 'The first and foremost aim of National Socialist films
was to entertain. They were intended to be escapist and offer reassurance in the
face of everyday hardships. The further that these films were removed from
reality, the better they functioned in National Socialist terms. Almost all
references to political life and the everyday life of the viewers were missing.
Any critical reference to contemporary reality was forbidden. Only a fraction of
the films had direct propagandistic aims.'
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2728383,00.html