tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23934349279034772292024-01-08T04:24:08.363-08:00The Rockower Post"The subjective pursuit of the objective truth." -Arthur KoestlerPaul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-70620043780158624322010-05-12T12:35:00.003-07:002010-05-12T12:35:25.389-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Herbert Hoover and the Origins of American Public Diplomacy of the Deed by Paul Rockower 5.12.10<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A piece for the <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/herbert_hoover_and_the_origins_of_american_public_diplomacy_of_the_dee/">USC Center on Public Diplomacy</a> that came out of my recent travels up to NorCal.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/herbert_hoover_and_the_origins_of_american_public_diplomacy_of_the_dee/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">HERBERT HOOVER AND THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OF THE DEED</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAY 12, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/herbert_hoover_and_the_origins_of_american_public_diplomacy_of_the_dee/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Paul Rockower</a></b><br />
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With the recent earthquakes that devastated Haiti and Chile, the concept of<a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/02/aid-diplomacy-why-helping-hait.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="aid diplomacy has arisen in the global consciousness">aid diplomacy has arisen in the global consciousness</a>. Aid diplomacy is predicated on the notion that in times of crisis, nations can do well in public diplomacy terms by doing good works for those in need.<br />
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Recently, as I wandered around Stanford University, I was reminded of what might be the first case of American aid diplomacy.. On display at the museums and library of Stanford’s Hoover Institution and Hoover Tower is a moving reminder of the remarkable example of aid diplomacy carried out by Herbert Hoover.<br />
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With the outbreak of the Great War, the engineering magnate Herbert Hoover undertook efforts to organize relief and transports for Americans stranded on a European continent descending into strife. As bloodshed and chaos played out in the northern European theater of Belgium, global attention turned to care of the starving women and children in the battlefield that the country had become. Hoover’s previous efforts of organizing logistics for relief efforts for those Americans trapped in Europe led the American Ambassador to Britain to ask him to organize the<a href="http://www.baef.be/documents/about-us/history/the-commission-for-relief-in-belgium-1914-.xml?lang=en" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Commission for the Relief of Belgium (CRB)">Commission for the Relief of Belgium (CRB)</a>.<br />
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Hoover answered the ambassador’s request, and went on to found and direct what was termed: “[a] pioneering effort in global altruism.” Under Hoover’s leadership, the CRB fed and cared for Belgian women and children who were starving under German occupation as well as from the British naval blockade. The CRB provided food, medicine and clothing to millions of Belgians as well as those in Northern France on a daily basis until the war came to a close.<br />
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The museum offers moving anecdotes related to the CRB’s efforts, stating that the Belgian children were: “shivering, grasping bowls and pitchers and the precious little cards that would guarantee them a meal. Upon receiving his or her allotment, each would pause, bow and utter a single word: Merci.”<br />
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Meanwhile, when America entered the Great War in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover as head of the U.S. Food Administration. With the war’s conclusion, Hoover served as the director general of the American Relief Administration (ARA), Hoover coordinated humanitarian relief to more than 20 countries. The ARA even conducted a massive famine relief effort in Bolshevik Russia from 1921 to 1923, and fed more than 11 million people a day at its height.<br />
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On display at the Hoover museum and libraries are <a href="http://www.ecommcode.com/hoover/hooveronline/HooverCRB/CRBIntro.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="various remembrances of the aid efforts">various remembrances of the aid efforts</a> and its public diplomacy value seen in the “Save the Children of Belgium” posters alongside pictures of Belgian appreciation rallies and letters of friendship to honor American fidelity to the people of Belgium. There were other pictures of later orphan efforts carried out by the ARA in Poland, Austria and Lithuania. Alongside the pressed flower gifts sent as thanks by children in Belgium, there were numerous “Thank You” letters featuring the American and Belgian flags together. Meanwhile, there were sacks of grain in bags declaring the contribution’s provenance from Southeast Iowa or stating its nature as a gift contributed by the People of Kentucky to Belgian noncombatants.<br />
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“An American epic,” was what Hoover termed his efforts and declared that it demonstrated American responsibility to the people of Europe. The example offered by Herbert Hoover’s aid efforts are a stirring reminder that the existence of a friend in need is the possibility for good public diplomacy of the deed.</span></div><hr /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=9732028&postID=5761713595189928049" name="bio">Paul Rockower</a></b> is a graduate student in the Masters in Public Diplomacy program at USC and a PDiN research intern at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. He graduates this week and will miss CPD :(. You can follow his misadventures at: <a href="http://levantine18.blogspot.com/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://levantine18.blogspot.com">http://levantine18.blogspot.com</a>.</i></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-7074964935512383872010-05-10T16:23:00.000-07:002010-05-10T16:23:52.885-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- A Report on the AUD-USC Exchange by John Nahas 5.10.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/a_report_on_the_aud_-_usc_exchange/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">A REPORT ON THE AUD - USC EXCHANGE</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAY 10, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/a_report_on_the_aud_-_usc_exchange/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">John Nahas</a></b><br />
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In late March, twelve students from the <a href="http://annenberg.usc.edu/Prospective/Masters/PubD.aspx" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Masters in Public Diplomacy (MPD) program">Masters in Public Diplomacy (MPD) program</a> at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism participated in a weeklong conference in Dubai as part of a student exchange with the American University in Dubai’s (AUD) <a href="http://www.aud.edu/AcademicAffairs/MBRSC/MBRSC_ugrad.asp" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC)">Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC)</a>.<br />
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<img alt="The group with H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/USC-MPD-Exchange.jpg" title="The group with H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State" /><br />
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The focus of the week was on Middle Eastern politics, media, and culture, and the students had an opportunity to gain an Arab perspective on critical issues facing the region. The group was initially welcomed by AUD President, Dr. Lance de Masi, who spoke about the mission of AUD and its role as an American educational institution in the UAE.<br />
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While in Dubai the group met with leading individuals in the Emirate. One of the first meetings was with the U.S. Consul General in Dubai, Justin Sibarell, who spoke about U.S. efforts in the UAE and the broader region. Observing the varied roles and operations of a U.S. Consulate was an insightful experience, and the group discussed many issues with the Consul General pertaining to U.S. Public Diplomacy and the work of the Consulate.<br />
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Later on in the week, UAE Minister of State H.E. Reem Al-Hashimy welcomed the MPD students for a discussion about the UAE and broader Middle East (see above). The Minister spoke about the vision of Dubai and the UAE, its Public Diplomacy efforts, and the successes and setbacks that it has incurred over the past few years. The MPD students’ discussion with Al Hashimy involved ways to improve U.S.-UAE and Middle East relations and the possible public diplomacy efforts that can be undertaken by both parties, who have positive relations, to help facilitate mutual understanding between other parties in the region.<br />
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The group had a chance to travel to the <a href="http://www.admedia.ae/ar/index.php" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Abu Dhabi Media Company">Abu Dhabi Media Company</a> and visit the offices of the English-language newspaper <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The National">The National</a> and meet with its executives. Back in Dubai the group got to tour the <a href="http://www.mbc.net/portal/site/mbc-en/menuitem.d88aab1f7d6cd79d0e837510480210a0/?vgnextoid=b0021de15ceee110VgnVCM1000008420010aRCRD" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="MBC Group">MBC Group</a> and its pan-Arab television news station Al-Arabiya where they had a chance to sit with its Executive Editor. In addition to visiting these two Arab media institutions, the group also observed various panels with other media figures and journalists, gaining important insights into how to address Arab publics, as well as the issues that face Arab media and its viewership. Overall, the MPD students got to observe the growing importance of Arab media as an international broadcasting actor and its role in local and international affairs in the region.<br />
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In addition to politics and media, the group got an understanding of Middle Eastern culture from leading academic, government and media figures. Talks regarding the history, economy, religion and culture of the region helped give the MPD students a richer understanding of the complexities that make up the Middle East. As a complement to the formal meetings, the American University in Dubai organized trips to the <a href="http://www.visitabudhabi.ae/en/what.to.do/mosques.and.other.places.of.worship/sh.zayed.mosque.aspx" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sheikh Zayed Mosque">Sheikh Zayed Mosque</a>. The MPD group also joined AUD students on a desert safari. In addition, the final two days gave the USC group an opportunity to explore Dubai and its numerous tourist destinations.<br />
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Shortly after the graduate students returned, six undergraduates studying film and communications at AUD visited USC as a reciprocation of the student exchange. The students sat in on classes at Annenberg and the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and toured both schools and their facilities. They also met with numerous USC administrators and faculty, and spent time with the MPD group that participated in the Dubai exchange.<br />
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This exchange was a success on many levels. It gave the MPD students an in-depth, behind–the-scenes understanding of Dubai and the region, through their numerous interactions with leading individuals. In addition, a relationship was fostered between both groups of students which will continue to enhance the understanding and the institutional relationship between both USC and AUD.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">John Nahas</a></b> graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Communication with an emphasis on Middle East politics and American Foreign Policy. He is currently in his second year of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC and recently concluded an internship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon. John is also the President of the <a href="http://www.uscapds.org/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars">Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars</a> and is a Senior Editor for PD Magazine .</i><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/a_report_on_the_aud_-_usc_exchange/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/a_report_on_the_aud_-_usc_exchange/</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-91270287728789909222010-05-09T10:05:00.000-07:002010-05-09T10:05:19.122-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Arizona's New Immigration Law: How State Politics Can Inhibit Public Diplomacy by Hilary Tone 5.8.10<div><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">ARIZONA’S NEW IMMIGRATION LAW: HOW STATE POLITICS CAN INHIBIT OUR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAY 8, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Hilary Tone</a></b><br />
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On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law, legalizing one of the harshest immigration enforcement laws this country has seen in decades. SB1070, dubbed by some as the “Papers, Please” law, is a hefty piece of legislation whose creators claim that the unprecedented crack down on illegal immigration will lead to safer neighborhoods in Arizona.<br />
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In the past few weeks, this law has spurred controversy and outrage across Arizona and the United States. There have been countless protests, rallies, marches and in some cases, vandalism (a swastika made of refried beans <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/26/refried-beans-swastika-arizona_n_552201.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="was found smeared on the doors ">was found smeared on the doors </a>to the Arizona Legislature ). Supporters of this law say that it is necessary, that the time for real law enforcement is long overdue. Critics say that it is a violation of basic human rights and will inevitably lead to racial profiling in the state.<br />
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Though there has been much debate about this law’s impact on both Arizona and the rest of the U.S., its potential consequences have yet to be explored in a key area: its effect on our public diplomacy with Latin America, and most significantly, Mexico. It is no secret that bad domestic policies can lead to bad public diplomacy, and given the national and international nature of this law, U.S. public diplomacy is in a prime position to suffer as a result of Arizona’s actions. The federal government must take swift action to address the discriminatory elements at the core of this law, lest we further strain our relationship with our southern neighbors.<br />
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Amidst other things, this law requires that all documented immigrants in Arizona carry their <a href="http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/summary/s.1070pshs.doc.htm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="alien registration paperwork at all times">alien registration paperwork at all times</a>. It also stipulates that any law enforcement official has an obligation to stop people and ask for their documentation should the official have “reasonable suspicion” that they are in the country illegally.<br />
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Critics have decried this idea of “reasonable suspicion:” what does an “undocumented” person look like, exactly? Is there a particular “undocumented” behavior that law enforcement officials will be able to identify? How can law enforcement officials suspect illegal status on any basis other than race, color or national origin? Immigrant and human rights advocates throughout Arizona and the U.S. have raised these and other questions in opposing this legislation and its predisposition to racial profiling of people of Hispanic descent.<br />
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Activists on this side of the border aren’t the only ones outraged - and here’s where public diplomacy comes into play - various foreign countries have expressed their disappointment and indignation. Cognizant of the fact that many of their citizens now reside and work in Arizona, the governments of Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador have issued harsh statements against this law.<br />
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Since Mexico’s national image has been dealt the heaviest blow as a result of this law, its response, not surprisingly, has been the most critical. Five days after SB1070 was signed, the Mexican government <a href="http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_897e9ba9-5baf-53e8-8e64-ed3d4573e8bd.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="issued a travel warning to its citizens">issued a travel warning to its citizens</a>, stating "there is a negative political environment for migrant communities and for all Mexican visitors" in Arizona.<br />
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Upon hearing these statements, SB1070 proponents would probably argue that Mexico’s response is unlikely to go beyond words because of its financial and economic dependence on the U.S. Though the U.S.-Mexico relationship will probably survive this law, it does appear that President Felipe Calderón’s government is more likely than previous administrations to take action in the face of legislation that specifically targets so many of its people.<br />
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In fact, Mexico has already begun putting its outrage into action beyond the initial travel warning. For instance, Guillermo Padrés Elías, the governor of Sonora, Mexico, canceled a bi-national trade and tourism meeting of the Arizona-Mexico Commission; no such cancellation has happened in the last 50 years. In addition, at least one Mexican airline, AeroMexico, plans to cancel flights to Phoenix. These items accompany national and international calls for a boycott of Arizona.<br />
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For those who are skeptical about how much the U.S.-Mexico relationship depends on the politics of Arizona and other Border States, consider the following numbers and statistics:<br />
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• More than 30% of Arizona’s population is of Hispanic descent.<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/#i" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><sup>i</sup></a><br />
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• “Each day, more than 65,000 Mexican residents are in Arizona to work, visit friends and relatives and shop, according to a University of Arizona study sponsored by the Arizona Office of Tourism.” <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/#ii" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><sup>ii</sup></a><br />
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• “While [in Arizona], Mexican visitors spend more than $7.35 million daily in Arizona's stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses.” <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/#iii" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><sup>iii</sup></a><br />
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These numbers illustrate two important points:<br />
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1) This law is going to harm and discriminate against people of Mexican descent who have a right to be in the U.S. whether through tourist visas, green cards or work visas.<br />
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2) Both nations have something to gain economically from an amicable relationship. Therefore, both also have something to lose from the fear-provoking, hostile elements of Arizona’s new law<br />
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Yet another point about SB1070 that could severely harm our public diplomacy is the issue of safety for Latin Americans living and working in Arizona. Law enforcement priorities will likely undergo a shift from policing our neighborhoods and communities to enforcing immigration law, which should be a federal responsibility. This shift in policing raises a red flag for both human rights advocates and law enforcement: what will happen in our communities if people are too scared to report crimes for fear of being deported themselves, or for causing the deportation of a neighbor, relative or friend? Though this law is intended to protect Arizona, it may lead to an increase in crime if there is a policing shift from crime to immigration. SB1070 also stipulates that Arizona residents can legally sue law enforcement officials for not doing their jobs. If we don’t protect the people who immigrate to this country from around the world, we certainly won’t be able to “win their hearts and minds” through public diplomacy.<br />
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The final nail in the coffin (and a piece of legislation not many have heard about) is the Arizona ban on ethnic studies classes. On April 29, 2010, the Arizona Legislature passed <a href="http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/hb2281s.htm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="HB2281, a bill that would ban all ethnic studies">HB2281, a bill that would ban all ethnic studies</a>(read: Chicano studies) classes from the state. Apparently, “<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/arizona-ethnic-studies-cl_n_558731.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="schools will lose state funding">schools will lose state funding</a> if they offer any courses that ‘promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.’” If there was any doubt regarding the true political agenda of Arizona’s legislators, HB2281 certainly makes it clear. If requiring every person with brown skin to carry his/her papers won’t make our public diplomacy with Latin America more difficult, surely prohibiting public education about students’ Hispanic heritage and culture will.*<br />
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Our future ties with Latin American countries hinge on the consequences of Arizona’s law, and in no country is that more true than Mexico. The rumors that other states, like Oklahoma, may try to implement similar legislation will only hurt our ability to foster beneficial relationships with our southern neighbors. Given the various factors that have plagued the U.S.-Mexico relationship over the years, including drug wars, arms control, and border violence, SB1070 and its inevitable consequences do not seem like a risk we should be willing to take.<br />
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Should SB1070 survive its pending legal challenges, the U.S. has much diplomatic work ahead to clean up Arizona’s mess before the law takes effect on July 28. We will be hard-pressed to restore our image with Mexico and other Latin American countries in the wake of such misguided domestic policies. The time for critical words and harsh jabs has passed; the time for real action and reform is now.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Hilary Tone</a></b> is a 2009 graduate of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC. She currently lives in Tucson, AZ and is the Communications Coordinator for Border Action Network, a nonprofit human rights organization that works in immigrant and border communities across Arizona to ensure that their rights are respected and dignity upheld.<br />
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i. <a href="" name="i">http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html</a><br />
ii. <a href="" name="ii">http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_897e9ba9-5baf-53e8-8e64-ed3d4573e8bd.html</a><br />
iii. <a href="" name="iii">Ibid. </a><br />
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* At the time of posting, Governor Jan Brewer had not yet signed or vetoed HB2281.</i></span><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/"></a><br />
<div><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/arizonas_new_immigration_law_how_state_politics_can_inhibit_our_public/</a><br />
</div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-39979986313599500182010-05-05T10:31:00.000-07:002010-05-05T10:31:01.918-07:00Neon Tommy- The Message is not the Message by Mariana Gonzalez Insua 5.4.10<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">The Message Is Not The Message<br />
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<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Mariana González Insua<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/ChavezTwitter_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/quecomunismo/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Bernardo Londoy</a>)</div><div>President Hugo Chávez' tight grip on Venezuelan media threatens to reach new levels. The Venezuelan leader's recent announcement that every country needs to regulate the Internet and the launch of his "guerrilla" communicational campaign have sparked fears that his control over the media might be extended to the online world.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Chávez' dominance of traditional forms of media in Venezuela is unquestionable. Not only does the Venezuelan leader have his own weekly show, but he is the brain behind<a href="http://www.telesurtv.net/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Telesur</a> and <a href="http://www.laradiodelsur.com/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Radio del Sur</a>, television and radio channels aimed at exporting the Venezuelan "socialist" model beyond Venezuela's borders while reinforcing Chávez' message at home. However, what has caused even more alarm are his outright attempts at media censorship.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Chávez' media presence is not limited to the traditional media landscape. The leader's radio and television initiatives have their own corresponding webpages. Chávez has flooded the web with <a href="http://www.abn.info.ve/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">sites</a> that promote his message. He even has his own facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hugo-Chavez/26574788838" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">page</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But while successful at establishing a strong presence in cyberspace, Chávez has not been able to prevent the opposition from spreading its own message through the Internet, a source of considerable irritation for the Venezuelan leader. The opposition's avid use of social networking sites and the popularity of its twitter <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/twitters-heady-rise-has-venezuelas-hugo-chavez-in-spin-1931089.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">tag</a> during the protests over press freedom in late January led Chávez to lash out against the famous microblogging site, <a href="http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/02/hugo_chavez_calls_twitter_a_to.php" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">calling</a> it a "tool of terrorism." (Ironically, less than three months later, he opened his own Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/chavezcandanga" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">account</a>). </div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.noticierodigital.com/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Noticiero Digital</a>, an online news service, was the next victim in Chávez' string of attacks for featuring false rumors (posted by users) on the death of two of Chávez' ministers. Even sites that are critical of both the government and the opposition, like the popular <a href="http://www.elchiguirebipolar.com/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">El Chigüire Bipolar</a> (a Venezuelan website of satirical videos and photo montages of political figures), have been lambasted by the President and his supporters.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In the wake of the incident with Noticiero Digital, Chávez declared: "The Internet can't be something free [...] every country has to impose its rules and regulations." While he later denied his intentions to control the online space, Chávez announced he would start blogging from the Presidential Palace, <a href="http://www.elchiguirebipolar.com/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">establishing</a> his "own trench on the Internet," inaugurate new Internet Centers for people to access the web freely and <a href="http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1253623" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">launch</a> the "Communicational Thunder" campaign (creating "guerrilla groups" to propagate Chávez' message through different media, including the Internet). The blogger-cum-President's measures thus re-ignited the opposition's fear that the proposed telecommunications <a href="http://www.google.co.ve/#hl=es&q=reforma+telecomunicaciones+2008+" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">reform</a>, which would establish one point of entry for the Internet controlled by the state (much like Cuba does), might become a reality. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Currently, the Internet is the only free medium where the opposition can express itself. The television and radio sphere is clearly controlled by Chávez, and competing messages hardly pose a threat to the Venezuelan leader's dominance of traditional media. BBC Spanish broadcasts do not air in Venezuela, and its English version as well as CNN en Español, can only be seen through cable networks. <a href="http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">VOA</a> has a number of radio and TV programs but this handful of short programs are no match for Chávez' ubiquitous media presence. If the Venezuelan leader were to control the Internet, the opposition would hardly have any room left to breathe. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Upper class Venezuelans, who for the most part oppose Chávez, are financially able to access cable TV, and as adept users of social media they can see a different reality of Venezuela and the world than that portrayed by the state-controlled media. Poorer Venezuelans, traditionally staunch supporters of the President, however, are mostly subjected to the leader's message. Opening Internet centers, carrying out "Communicational Thunder," tweeting regularly (he<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/world/americas/29briefs-veneztwitter.html%29" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">gained</a> more than 79,000 followers the day his account was created) and regulating the Internet would allow Chávez to exercise virtually complete control over a large portion of the population.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Denying the opposition the cyber component of their protests will not eliminate demonstrations. In fact, it might cause them to multiply. Applying restrictions on the Internet will not prevent the opposition from getting its message out, either. It will only be a matter of time until a Venezuelan counterpart to Cuba's <a href="http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Yoani Sánchez</a> emerges. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The truth is that actions speak louder than words: Chávez' inability to prevent power shortages and to do away with poverty, among other domestic issues, will continue creating problems regardless of the message the Venezuelan leader is able to convey through the media.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A version of this article originally appeared on the blog <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/05/www.mountainrunner.us" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">www.mountainrunner.us</a>.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Mariana González Insua is a first year student in USC's Masters of Public Diplomacy program. She is originally from Argentina and recently completed a Masters in Latin American Studies at Stanford University. This oped is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholar.</i></div></div><br />
<a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/05/the-message-is-not-the-message.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/05/the-message-is-not-the-message.html</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-52640947092375122902010-05-05T10:29:00.001-07:002010-05-05T10:29:57.431-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Argentina at the Smithsonian, 2010 by Mariana Gonzalez Insua 5.3.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/argentina_at_the_smithsonian_2010/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">ARGENTINA AT THE SMITHSONIAN, 2010</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAY 3, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/argentina_at_the_smithsonian_2010/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Mariana González Insua</a></b><br />
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Argentines do not make up a particularly large percentage of the Latino population in the US. The results of the 2010 Census will certainly provide more accurate data, but a <a href="http://www.ethnicevents.com/markets/Argentine-American-Market" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="2007 Pew Research Center project">2007 Pew Research Center project</a> established that, though it is the third most populous country in Latin America, Argentina does not figure into the top 10 countries of origin for Hispanic residents in America, lagging behind in fourteenth place and making up a mere 0.06% of the US population. Given the average American’s slim chances of crossing paths with an Argentine in the US, coupled with Argentina’s remote location at the far south of South America, it is not surprising that few people in the US are acquainted with Argentine culture.<br />
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Argentina’s recent Oscar success has certainly drawn attention to the country. At this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, where most film experts placed their bets on the German film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149362/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The White Ribbon"><i>The White Ribbon</i></a>, people were surprised when Argentina’s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305806/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The Secret in their Eyes"><i>The Secret in their Eyes</i></a> was announced as the winner in the best foreign language film category. Now playing in major theaters across the US, the movie promises to bring a little piece of Argentine culture to American audiences and possibly spark new interest in the Southern country among the American public.<br />
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Given this happy coincidence, the recent launch of “<a href="http://latino.si.edu/PDF/SLC_Argentina2010_Program.pdf" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Argentina at the Smithsonian 2010">Argentina at the Smithsonian 2010</a>” could not have been timed better. Organized by the Smithsonian Latino Center in partnership with the Secretariat of Culture of the Nation of Argentina, the Embassy of Argentina in DC and other institutions, the series of events consists of a variety of free and ticketed programs and exhibits scheduled to take place throughout the year in the different museums that make up the Smithsonian in Washington DC.<br />
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Envisioned as a celebration of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_Bicentennial" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Argentina’s bicentennial">Argentina’s bicentennial</a>, “Argentina at the Smithsonian 2010” seeks to highlight the country’s historical, artistic and cultural richness. The holistic approach embraced by its organizers, who have strung together various events distributed throughout several months into a comprehensive and unique program, will allow for synergy among the different exhibits and activities, and possibly attract more attention to the program as a whole. Offering free public events in addition to ticketed ones will certainly ensure a higher turnout, as will the fact that shows and exhibitions are not targeted at a single audience, but instead aim to reach out to adults, children and entire families. At the same time, events are not limited to a particular type, but include activities that range from a simple museum exhibit to a hands-on crafting experience with native Argentine designers.<br />
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Beyond the characteristics that seem to point at the program’s success, the reason why “Argentina at the Smithsonian 2010” is particularly interesting is that it features elements of traditional Argentine culture alongside more recently developed cultural expressions and trends. In this sense, music shows are not limited to the well-known tango genre, but they also extend to Argentine rock. And while “The Story of Argentine Wine” may not be new to wine-connoisseurs, lectures and films on Afro-Argentines, often ignored in the study of the country, may expose many Americans to this part of Argentina’s history for the first time. <a href="http://latino.si.edu/PDF/SLC_Argentina2010_Program.pdf" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The list goes on">The list goes on</a>, including exhibitions of emerging Argentine photographers, a visit by famous contemporary artist Guillermo Kuitca, and a lecture on Argentine poets in the US. The delectable diversity of Argentine cuisine will feature prominently, demonstrating that Argentina has more to offer beyond outstanding beef. If events in Holland are any indication, empanadas and facturas go hand in hand with the effort to win hearts and minds, as the Prince of Holland’s marriage to Argentine Maxima Zorreguieta was accompanied by a sharp uptick in the <a href="http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zento/eandl2006/1188140820/tpod.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="popularity of Argentine restaurants in Amsterdam">popularity of Argentine restaurants in Amsterdam</a>.<br />
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While this cultural diplomacy initiative is confined to the Washington Beltway, it has the characteristics necessary to generate interest in Argentina among Americans who visit the events. Hopefully, this program marks the beginning of a series of cultural events that will continue beyond the celebration of Argentina’s bicentennial and generate ongoing interest in the country.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Mariana González Insua</a></b> is a first year student in USC's Masters of Public Diplomacy program. She is originally from Argentina and recently completed a Masters in Latin American Studies at Stanford University.</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><i><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/argentina_at_the_smithsonian_2010/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/argentina_at_the_smithsonian_2010/</a></i></span>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-72997425634024361422010-04-28T07:34:00.000-07:002010-04-28T07:34:38.949-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Finding Support for the Confucius Institutes by Chen Chen 4.28.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/finding_support_for_the_confucius_institutes/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">FINDING SUPPORT FOR THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">APR 28, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/finding_support_for_the_confucius_institutes/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Chen Chen</a></b><br />
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China’s Confucius Institutes have become a public diplomacy phenomenon. Many public diplomacy researchers have been impressed by the <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-04/23/content_9766116.htm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="rapid spread of Confucius Institutes around the world">rapid spread of Confucius Institutes around the world</a>. In the United States alone, more than 60 Confucius Institutes have been established since 2004. Meanwhile, around the globe, the Chinese government has opened <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/11/content_12633620.htm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="more than 200 Confucius Institutes">more than 200 Confucius Institutes</a> in over 80 countries.<br />
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Some members of the US Congress have concerns over this trend, and have suggested that the Obama administration open at least four US culture centers in China to redress the imbalance and the disparity in cultural and political influence that the Confucius Institute can bring. Confucius Institutes seem to pop up overnight around the world and have become a distinct symbol of “China Rising.”<br />
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Ironically, among the few countries left without a Confucius Institute, one nation stands out: China, the homeland of Confucius.<br />
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In fact, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), the organizer of the Confucius Institute, has established many Chinese language-teaching institutes in Mainland China that are similar to Confucius Institute. Many universities in China also offer courses in Chinese instruction. But none of them use the name "Confucius" to promote their programs. This is not a coincidence. The phenomenon actually reflects the Chinese government’s usual pattern when carrying out practices of cultural diplomacy.<br />
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Chinese cultural diplomatic activities pay close attention to the views of foreign public, but rarely consider the views of their own people on the subject. For example, the figure Confucius, the Peking Opera, and the art of Kung Fu, symbols of Chinese culture in the eyes of foreign public, in fact are not popular in China's mainstream culture.<br />
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More specifically, although the Chinese government is using Confucius to promote Chinese culture, the Chinese public often makes fun of the notion of Confucianism. Recently, a film describing Confucius's life ended up being a big flop at the box office. Although many big movie stars acted in the film,<a href="http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/bloggers/han-han-confucius-box-office-failure-good-for-chinese-cinema.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="people were still not attracted to the movie">people were still not attracted to the movie</a>. This was in part because Chinese people tend to feel that the theme of the movie and the thoughts of Confucius are so old-fashioned and pedantic that they do not fit into China's current social needs.<br />
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The Peking Opera also faces the same situation. On the one hand, the government regards it as China's national essence, and you can find the silhouettes of Peking Opera actors displayed in many documentaries of China. However, on the other hand, only a small number of Chinese are still listening to the Peking Opera. China's mainstream population has no interest in or even knowledge about the Peking Opera.<br />
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Both historically and in the present, all successful cases of cultural diplomacy are powered by the cooperation between the government and its people. For example, Japanese government’s manga diplomacy is strongly supported by Japan’s domestic manga enthusiasts and Japanese cartoon industry. Also, supporting the success of the United States’ basketball diplomacy is the large basketball population and American people’s great enthusiasm for basketball.<br />
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In stark contrast, when the Chinese government is vigorously promoting Confucius Institutes around the world, many Chinese rarely bother about the development of Confucius Institute. The negatives are obvious: first, foreign publics often find that the China presented in the context of governmental Cultural Diplomacy is far from the real one, and such difference always leads to doubts about the purpose of cultural diplomacy. Many would also argue that Chinese cultural diplomacy activities are nothing but political propaganda. More importantly, even though the Chinese government is willing to spend money on cultural diplomacy, without its own public’s participation and enthusiasm, such diplomacy activities cannot be kept up for long. After all, the government's power is limited, and the force of cultural diplomacy actually comes from the power of the people.<br />
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In fact, the starting point of public diplomacy is the recognition of the public’s influence on the country's foreign policy. I think public diplomacy’s “public” refers not only to foreign publics, but also the domestic population. When public diplomacy’s aim is to influence the other country’s foreign policy by engaging the foreign public, we must also take into account the domestic public’s impact on those public diplomacy activities. In other words, public diplomacy activities would be unsustainable if they cannot receive domestic backing.<br />
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Therefore, if the Chinese government wants to find the strength to sustain the Confucius Institutes, it must attract the support of its own people first.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Chen Chen</a></b> is a master’s candidate in the Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. His studies focus on the public diplomacy in East Asia. He is originally from Northeast China and received his B.A. in Broadcasting Journalism from Tongji University in Shanghai. Prior to being a USC graduate student, he worked for China Central Television as a reporter in Beijing.</i><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/finding_support_for_the_confucius_institutes/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/finding_support_for_the_confucius_institutes/</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-11627484694528630852010-04-28T07:33:00.000-07:002010-04-28T07:33:16.981-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Cross Cultural Encounters in Art by Regina Guzman 4.26.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: underline;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/cross-cultural_encounters_in_art_the_florentine_codex/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">CROSS-CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS IN ART: THE FLORENTINE CODEX</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">APR 26, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/cross-cultural_encounters_in_art_the_florentine_codex/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Regina Guzmán</a></b><br />
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Art is an essential part of the culture of every nation. Through it, a nation can demonstrate the best parts of its cultural heritage and share its history and talents with foreign publics on a large scale. <i><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/aztec/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The Aztec Pantheon and the Art of the Empire">The Aztec Pantheon and the Art of the Empire</a></i>, currently on exhibit at the <a href="http://www.getty.edu/visit/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Getty Villa">Getty Villa</a>, is the most recent example of how Mexico’s Aztec antiquities never fail to captivate U.S. audiences.<br />
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The exhibition comes at a noteworthy time, as Mexico celebrates the bicentennial of its independence and the centennial of the Mexican revolution. It is the first exhibition on the Aztec Empire to be organized in the city of Los Angeles, as well as the Getty Villa’s first venture with art from<a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-aztecs21-2010mar21,0,6456017.story" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="outside the ancient Mediterranean">outside the ancient Mediterranean</a>. Most significantly, the exhibit reveals a defining moment of cultural encounter by displaying Aztec artworks together with 16th and 17th century illustrations that showcase European interpretations of Aztec culture.<br />
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The Aztec monuments on display at the Getty Villa (most of them loans from the <a href="http://www.mna.inah.gob.mx/muna/mna_ing/main.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Museo Nacional de Antropología">Museo Nacional de Antropología</a> and the <a href="http://www.gobiernodigital.inah.gob.mx/mener/index.php?contentPagina=32" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Museo del Templo Mayor">Museo del Templo Mayor</a> in Mexico City) are masterpieces comparable to the most distinguished sculptural traditions, but the exhibit’s greatest artwork comes in the form of a three-volume pictorial manuscript known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florentine_Codex" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="the Florentine Codex">the Florentine Codex</a>. The Codex is an iconic chronicle of Aztec culture and history that reflects European efforts to understand the New World by drawing references from its own classical past. The Spanish conquest of the Americas coincided with the Renaissance rediscovery of classical antiquity, and as Europeans faced a culture that was profoundly unfamiliar, the Codex became a pioneering piece of work that sparked a dialogue between Mesoamerican and European civilizations.<br />
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The manuscript was commissioned nearly a half-century after Hernán Cortés’ defeat of the Aztec civilization, under the direction of Bernardino de Sahagún, a Spanish-born Franciscan friar who had traveled to México to evangelize for the Catholic Church. Sahagún, with the help of native Aztec collaborators and bicultural students from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_Santa_Cruz_de_Tlatelolco" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Real Colegio">Real Colegio</a> in Tlatelolco (the first European school of higher learning in México), recorded the gods and goddesses of the Aztecs with over 1,500 watercolor illustrations and captions written in Nahuatl, Spanish and Latin. Most importantly, the Codex identified each deity with his or her equivalent god and goddess in the Roman pantheon, providing a clear parallel between the two great empires. The references to Greco-Roman mythology helped Spanish readers interpret the beliefs of their New World subjects and allowed Spanish missionaries to understand Aztec culture through their own history, philosophy and law.<br />
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Beneath the European attempt to understand another civilization through artwork lies the effort of the bicultural students working on the Codex to engage with Spain by narrating their Aztec heritage through classical and Christian perspectives. The Codex is therefore not only a unique case of a rare effort to spread the Christian faith through cultural understanding rather than coercion, but also a reflection of a broader cross-cultural approach to the roles of religion and art in empires.<br />
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The Florentine Codex is a great example of how art has been historically used as a neutral platform through which people connect and understand something that is foreign.<br />
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As one of the centerpieces in <i>The Aztec Pantheon and the Art of the Empire</i>, the Codex showcases Mexico’s rich heritage and sets the stage for continued cultural encounters. Reflecting on the exhibition as a whole, the Aztec experience at the Getty gives Mexico an enormous cultural presence in a city that is so uniquely tied to Mexico’s history. The exhibit (enhanced by the accompanying lectures and educational programming) <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/03/aztec-pantheon-getty-villa.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="engages publics and scholars alike">engages publics and scholars alike</a> in a dialogue that is needed for cultural appreciation.<br />
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For some time now, Mexico has sought greater visibility in world affairs and with its northern neighbor in particular, yet art exhibits remain a largely untapped and underestimated means for making this happen. Mexico could and <i>should </i>use its rich arsenal of art a lot more frequently, increasing its capacity to foster a positive national image abroad and perhaps even setting an example of the value and necessity of cross-cultural art exhibitions.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Regina Guzmán</a></b> is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Public Diplomacy program. She grew up in Mexico City and has an academic background in Art History and Media Studies. Her regional focus in PD has been Mexico, with particular attention to cultural diplomacy and art-based exchanges.<br />
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The Aztec Pantheon and the Art of Empire is on exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa through July 5, 2010.</i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><i><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/cross-cultural_encounters_in_art_the_florentine_codex/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/cross-cultural_encounters_in_art_the_florentine_codex/</a></i></span>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-51621142139810517512010-04-28T07:32:00.000-07:002010-04-28T07:36:05.995-07:00Neon Tommy- Who Sank the Cheonon? by Joshua Saidoff 4.26.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">Who Sank The Cheonan?<br />
<span class="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/who-sank-the-cheonan.html#trackback" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">TrackBacks (0)</a> <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/who-sank-the-cheonan.html#comments" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">Comments (0)</a> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;"><img align="absmiddle" alt="Bookmark and Share" border="0" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="83" /></a></span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Joshua Saidoff<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/Cheonan_f.jpg" /><br />
The ROKS Cheonan (creative commons licensed: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdn0001/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">S.KOREA KDN</a>)</div><div>If you get your news from a local paper, there's an important story you might not have heard about.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On March 26 the ROKS Cheonan, a 1,200-ton South Korean naval vessel, <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/205_63804.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">sank</a> to the bottom of the Yellow Sea. Survivors recount a sudden, deafening explosion, a shockwave, and moments of terror as the ship broke in two and descended precipitously into the frigid waters. The dead and the missing, 46 in all, accompanied the ship to the sea floor. That is where the broken hull remains, just off Baengnyeong Island, miles from the disputed maritime border that separates North and South Korea.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In the last decade alone, these contested waters have been the site of three belligerent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/world/asia/11korea.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">encounters</a> between the North and South Korean navies. Recently, North Korea has stepped up threats against South Korean vessels acting in the region, designating parts of the border region "peacetime firing zones," and firing dozens of shells into South Korean territorial waters in <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2010/01/27/80/0401000000AEN20100127006000315F.HTML" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">January</a> and <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2010/02/24/0200000000AEN20100224009300325.HTML" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">February</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div>There are some indications that North Korea might have been involved in the sinking of ROKS Cheonan. At the time of the sinking, seismic sensors <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/116_63550.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">registered</a> an event that measured 1.5 on the Richter scale - the equivalent of the detonation of a torpedo. Sailors' <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/205_63804.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">testimonies</a> corroborate this scenario. Crewmen reported hearing an explosion that originated outside the ship. They didn't smell gunpowder, indicating that the explosion wasn't caused by ordinance held onboard. </div><div><br />
</div><div>But evidence also exists to support other conclusions. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Perhaps the most compelling alternate scenario involves the <a href="http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/03/30/2010033000867.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">detonation</a> of an unexploded mine from the Korean War. A mine explosion fits neatly with the sailor's testimony and with the seismic data. It also accounts for the fact that the ROKS Cheonan didn't detect any submarines operating in the area prior to the explosion.</div><div><br />
</div><div>A less compelling alternate <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5go6zj72Nt-wN1DE8gWlLrAlhjo4g" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">scenario</a> involves the ship running aground and disintegrating. According to this scenario, welds in the ship's hull, weakened by age, gave way, causing the ship to break cleanly in half. Fragments of the wreckage recovered from the site appear to bear out this hypothesis. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Most of the ship remains submerged, frustrating efforts to draw a definitive conclusion about the cause of the disaster. Absent this evidence, we must rely upon defense department <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/116_63550.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">statements</a> about the good condition of the ship and its ability to safely <a href="http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/03/30/2010033000867.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">navigate</a> in the area. </div><div><br />
</div><div>At present, the preponderance of evidence points to North Korean involvement - either accidental (i.e. due to legacy ordinance from the Korean War) or intentional (i.e. due to a torpedo attack). </div><div><br />
</div><div>For reasons that are easy to explicate, the North Koreans have said <a href="http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/06/2010040601085.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">nothing</a> about the incident. The top U.S. commander in the region <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/205_63745.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">cast doubt</a> on North Korean involvement, and the South Korean president has <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/(http://www.korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=45462" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">urged</a>patience, pending the outcome of a thorough forensic investigation.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The U.S. and North Korea have been disciplined about maintaining the consistency of their message. The North Koreans have been careful not to mention the Cheonan as they continue their daily barrage of <a href="http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/06/2010040601085.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">vitriol</a> against the U.S. and the R.O.K. The U.S. has also maintained the message unity. The highest ranking member of the U.S. military establishment to comment on the event, 4-star General Walter Sharp, <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/205_63745.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">stated</a> that there was no clear link between North Korea and the sinking of the Cheonan. When asked about the event, State Department Spokesperson P.J. Crowley<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/skorea.ship.sinking/index.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">echoed</a> General Sharp's statement. President Obama offered only a perfunctory <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/readout-presidents-call-with-president-lee-myung-bak-republic-korea" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">letter</a> of condolence to the South Koreans. He made no allusion to the cause of the disaster.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The South Koreans have had more difficulty staying on message. There are those in the South Korean government that have a <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/113_63770.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">vested interest</a> in blaming the North Koreans. Defense Minister Kim Tae-Young, for example, has been criticized for <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/04/137_63618.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">attempting</a> to deflect blame away from the South Korean navy. Kim has <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/04/116_63550.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">endorsed</a> the torpedo attack as the most likely scenario.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The Obama Administration has said <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/skorea.ship.sinking/index.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">very little</a> about the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan. So has the U.S. media. In the days and weeks following the incident, English language reporting and editorializing about the Cheonan was dwarfed by coverage of other local and international events. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The media's disinterest in the Cheonan is incongruous with the intensity of U.S. involvement in the inter-Korean dispute.The U.S. has 28,500 <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/03/26/17/0301000000AEN20100326000900315F.HTML" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">soldiers</a> stationed in South Korea and a mutual defense <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2800.htm" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">agreement</a> with the R.O.K. Moreover, the Obama Administration has just placed nuclear non-proliferation at the top of its agenda, and it has identified North Korea as one of the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Politics/us-nuclear-policy-sends-strong-message-iran-north/story?id=10298475" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">targets</a> of its policy. The U.S. strategy in the region centers on a resumption of the six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament. If the sinking of the Cheonan is attributed to North Korea, then military tension with the nuclear-armed North is likely to increase. Would the U.S. be able to stand idly by if South Korea is attacked? Could the U.S. prevent its regional strategy from unraveling?</div><div><br />
</div><div>This story could get very big, very quickly.</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Joshua Saidoff is a Masters Student in Public Diplomacy at USC's Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. He holds a Masters Degree in Government from the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel and a Bachelors in Political Science from Stanford. This op-ed is part of a parternership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</i></div><div><i><br />
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<a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/who-sank-the-cheonan.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/who-sank-the-cheonan.html</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-8343257236394681392010-04-26T08:18:00.000-07:002010-04-26T08:18:33.151-07:00Neon Tommy- Why International Polls Matter by Melanie Ciolek 4.23.10<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">Why International Polls Matter<br />
<span class="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/why-international-polls-matter.html#trackback" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">TrackBacks (0)</a> <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/why-international-polls-matter.html#comments" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">Comments (0)</a> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;"><img align="absmiddle" alt="Bookmark and Share" border="0" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="83" /></a></span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Melanie Ciolek<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/InternationalPolls_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">US Army Africa</a>)</div><div>One of the first things a politician learns is to be skeptical of public opinion polls. Dismissive attitudes about polling, which cross party lines and international borders, create a serious dilemma for leaders when they are confronted with favorable data.</div><div><br />
</div><div>A little over a year ago, at London's G20 conference, President Barack Obama was<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/02/AR2009040202415.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">asked</a> whether he had seen evidence of America's diminished power and authority in the world during his first international summit. In reply, Obama said that while he thought many people around the world had lost confidence in the U.S., he felt that his election and some of his administration's first actions were starting to restore America's standing. He added, "And although, as you know, I always mistrust polls, international polls seem to indicate that you're seeing people more hopeful about America's leadership."</div><div><br />
</div><div>President Obama may have been referring to an early 2009 <a href="http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/583.php?lb=brglm&pnt=583&nid=&id=" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">poll</a> that found that on average, across 17 countries, 67 percent of people believed his election would lead to improved U.S. relations with the rest of the world. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Now a new BBC <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8626041.stm" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">poll</a> shows that global opinion of America's influence in the world is on the rise for the second straight year. On average across 27 countries, 46 percent see U.S. influence as mainly positive while 34 percent believe it is mainly negative - the first time attitudes about the U.S. have been more positive than negative since polling began in 2005.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Few would call it a coincidence that multiple <a href="http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=264" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">polls</a> showing improved attitudes about the U.S. have followed Obama's election. "It appears the 'Obama effect' is real," said the most recent poll's analysis, citing more positive views of the U.S. from Germany and Russia to Chile and Egypt. But with the U.S. facing a world full of exhausted allies, reluctant partners, and determined adversaries, what does a global boost in numbers really matter? </div><div><br />
</div><div>Some have their <a href="http://drezner.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/04/19/how_real_is_the_obama_effect" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">doubts</a>, questioning how this apparent growth in soft power translates into "usable leverage" for the U.S. on its toughest policy challenges, such as securing support for sanctions against Iran. <a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/04/the-obama-effect.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Others</a> <a href="http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/why-%E2%80%98obama-effect%E2%80%99-abroad-matters" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">see</a> a connection between U.S. popularity and how inclined foriegn leaders are to cooperate with the U.S.</div><div><br />
</div><div>At minimum, most would agree that a better reputation for the U.S. is a good step toward regaining credibility on the global stage--something which tends to be useful in building leverage. At the same time, restoring credibility will not come easy. U.S. actions from the Middle East to Guantanamo have done a great deal to erode global confidence, and it will take more than a change in leadership to rebuild trust.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But the global shift in opinion about America suggests that, at least for the immediate future, people around the world are willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt.</div><div><br />
</div><div>As part of efforts to introduce the world to a new style of leadership, Obama spoke to audiences in <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/07/10/ghana.obama/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Accra</a> and<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104891406" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Cairo</a>. Text messages, the internet, and the international media gave his message an ever greater reach. Less than a year later, improved attitudes about the U.S. seem to indicate they liked what they heard, but the challenge for Obama is to act while the world is still listening.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Elected leaders know that popularity in the eyes of the public does not immediately translate into political will. Perhaps that's why many, like Obama, "always mistrust" polls. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Governing solely by shifts of global opinion is not the answer, but questioning their value deprives leaders of a valuable source of information about the world. George W. Bush did not need opinion polls to know that the UN Security Council would not support the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but without them it would have been difficult to understand the widespread consequences of these actions. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Chances are a White House staffer received a summary of the new BBC figures in a daily briefing and passed them up the chain of command, perhaps reaching the President himself.<br />
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Hopefully he accepted them not as a stamp of approval for a "job well done," but as a sign that the world is waiting--some more patiently than others--to continue the dialogue that began with his election. </div><div><br />
</div><div>His challenge now is to follow his words with actions.</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Melanie Ciolek is a first-year student in the Master of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. Before arriving at USC, Melanie worked for the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in Washington D.C., a global public opinion research think tank which manages the WorldPublicOpinion.org project. This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</i></div></div><br />
<a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/why-international-polls-matter.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/why-international-polls-matter.html</a><br />
<div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-47114623103359206722010-04-22T18:50:00.000-07:002010-04-22T18:50:00.348-07:00Neon Tommy- The Great Chinese Currency Debate by Babeeta Dhillon 4.22.10<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">he Great Chinese Currency Debate<br />
<span class="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/the-great-chinese-currency-deb.html#trackback" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">TrackBacks (0)</a> <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/the-great-chinese-currency-deb.html#comments" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">Comments (0)</a> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;"><img align="absmiddle" alt="Bookmark and Share" border="0" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="83" /></a></span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Babeeta Dhillon<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/ChineseCurrency_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmiehomeschoolmom/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Jimmie</a>)</div><div>Tensions between the United States and China always seem to be percolating. This time it's about money. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The U.S. trade deficit with China is more than $200 billion. Many in Washington consider the cause to be an inconsistent and fluctuating Chinese exchange rate. China's currency policies have become a source of tension between the two countries, even leading some to claim that China's exchange rate is the cause of the sluggish economy in the U.S. President Obama recently suggested that perhaps China should let the value of its currency float more freely on world markets to help correct global economic imbalances. </div><div><br />
</div><div>After President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington for the Nuclear Security Summit, he told Obama that China is reviewing its currency policy. According to official Chinese media reports, any modification "will not be advanced by outside pressure,", and will be based on China's "own economic and social development needs." </div><div><br />
</div><div>After the Chinese president's remarks, widespread speculation about China's current currency markets and RMB exchange rate have made hitting headlines in Washington and raised concern for other foreign markets like India. If China raises the value of the Renminbi (aka the Yuan), Chinese exports would be more expensive on world markets and would make foreign imports to China cheaper, leveling the playing field for those countries able to control their markets. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So far, the pressure on China to revalue its currency has only been from the U.S., but in order to gain dire support the U.S. has turned to its allies. The U.S. has approached the European Union and Japan for help, but neither country's deficit is as large as the U.S. and both are standing on the sidelines watching the Sino-U.S. engagements. The U.S. also approached India. U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner recently took a trip to India with the intention of persuading India to apply joint pressure on the RMB exchange rate. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Duvvuri Subbarao, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (India's central bank) stated that "If China revalues the Yuan, it will have a positive impact on our external sector. If some countries manage their exchange rate and keep them artificially low, the burden of adjustment falls on some countries that do not manage their exchange rate so actively." Hence, implying that India may support U.S. efforts to pressure China's currency policy. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Will India be used as a tool in an overarching U.S. strategy to tackle its deficit with China or will India stay loyal to developing countries and stand by China?</div><div><br />
</div><div>The statements of all parties involved will be addressed in an upcoming meeting for finance ministers and central bankers from G20 countries later this week. </div><div><br />
</div><div>India should be cautions and observe the markets carefully before it makes any decisions. Recently, the Bank of India increased key policy rates twice in two months, which is against economic predictions. Any drastic changes to the RMB exchange rate could have unpredicted effects on India's economic growth and could potentially halt its fast growing economy. </div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Babeeta Dhillon is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Public Diplomacy program. Her topics of research include nation branding, corporate diplomacy, and environmental diplomacy, while her regions of focus are India, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Middle East. This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/the-great-chinese-currency-deb.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/the-great-chinese-currency-deb.html</a></i></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-69124514776073320782010-04-16T14:36:00.000-07:002010-04-16T14:36:11.230-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Despite Poland's grief, there is much to celebrate by Krysta Close 4.16.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/despite_polands_grief_there_is_much_to_celebrate/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">DESPITE POLAND’S GRIEF, THERE IS MUCH TO CELEBRATE</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">APR 16, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/author/APDS_Bloggers/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><i>All posts by APDS Bloggers</i></a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/despite_polands_grief_there_is_much_to_celebrate/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Krysta Close</a></b><br />
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April 10 was a dark and painfully sad day—for the people of Poland, for the worldwide diaspora community known as <i>Polonia</i>, and for citizens everywhere—as the world struggled to grasp Poland’s <a href="http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul129153_president-kaczynski-dies-in-plane-crash.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="sudden and stunning loss">sudden and stunning loss</a> on both a personal and international level. As Sunday dawned, however, and life and governance continued on without misstep, one could feel the mood shift. Such overwhelming grief, wreckage and death could have easily seemed a hollow echo of a senselessly tragic national history, entrenching an image of Poland as Europe’s doormat, but this has not been the case. Amidst the loss, Poland’s strength rather than its weakness has been the dominant perception, and the prospect of reconciliation between longtime enemies has prevailed over blame or the reopening of old wounds.<br />
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As the international media has shone its spotlight on the devastating deaths of Polish President Lech Kaczyński and the First Lady as well as the loss of <a href="http://wyborcza.pl/8,75402,7753886.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="scores ">scores </a>of top political, military and civil leaders, clergy members and everyday citizens, it has also highlighted the dignity and calm with which this great but historically battered nation has handled the incident and ensuing political re-organization. It is, in fact, these unexpected moments of media exposure that often make the best inadvertent public diplomacy opportunities, and Poland’s catastrophe has been no exception. As Poland emerges as a powerful modern nation, Saturday’s devastation has provided one such unexpected occasion, shedding light on many facets of Poland’s story to willing audiences around the world.<br />
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The Presidential plane crashed near Russia’s Katyń forest, a geographical irony mentioned in nearly all <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/world/europe/11poland.html?ref=todayspaper" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="articles ">articles </a>or <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7094785.ece" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="editorials ">editorials </a>about the event, and one that adds important historical context to the story. Katyń was the site of a massacre of roughly 20,000 Polish Army officers by the Soviet NKVD during WWII, and the fact that Russia had until recently denied responsibility for this atrocity has been a persistent sore spot in Polish-Russian relations. However it is merely one of many difficult issues in long history of mutual mistrust and repression, including the period of Partitions during which Russia and Poland’s other neighbors divvied up Polish territory until it disappeared from the map of sovereign nations entirely. This antagonistic relationship has been described by Marek Zebrowski, director of USC’s Polish Music Center, as “one neighborhood—in this case Central Europe—[that] cannot accommodate two political powerhouses, and the rise of one will be coupled with the demise of the other.”<br />
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Saturday’s disaster has drawn international attention to the fact that this antagonism may have finally started to shift. A few days before the crash, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the first Russian official to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/world/europe/08putin.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="attend a commemoration">attend a commemoration</a> of the Katyń massacre on its 70th anniversary; although he did not use the opportunity to give an official apology as many Poles had hoped, it was viewed as a positive step in Poland <a href="http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/04/139743.htm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="and beyond">and beyond</a>. Despite ongoing disagreements with Kaczyński and his policies, Putin and his colleague, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, were among the first leaders to extend condolences after the fatal crash and subsequently declared Monday a Russian national day of mourning. Also, Andrzej Wajda’s Academy Award-nominated film <i>Katyń </i>was <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/14/world/la-fg-poland-wajda-qa15-2010apr15" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="screened for the first time">screened for the first time</a> on Russian state-owned television during Sunday primetime, making many Russians newly aware of violence that had been perpetrated on their own soil. While it is too early to know how these conciliations might affect inter-state relations in the long run, media coverage has burned this newfound cordiality between the nations into the international consciousness; one can only hope that citizens and fellow politicians will pressure Russian and Polish leaders to avoid reverting to their earlier positions of entrenched mistrust.<br />
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More important than history for public diplomacy, however, is positive action in the present, and this catastrophe has revealed <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7094785.ece" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="a thriving nation">a thriving nation</a> to the world. It was the only European economy to exhibit growth during 2009, and not even the loss of President Kaczyński or Sławomir Skrzypek, head of the National Bank, could shake the <a href="http://thenews.pl/business/artykul129276_markets-calm-after-skrzypek-death.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="stable Polish stock market">stable Polish stock market</a> this week. The nation’s political institutions have displayed equal solidity, in what has been <a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/transitions" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="hailed ">hailed </a>as “a triumph of Polish democracy… [in which] animosities and political cleavages have been buried… [and] the presidency—at least temporarily—has passed [smoothly] from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_Justice" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Party of Law and Justice">Party of Law and Justice</a> to its primary rival, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Platform" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Civic Platform">Civic Platform</a>.” In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/opinion/13iht-edcohen.html?ref=opinion" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="a New York Times op-ed">a New York Times op-ed</a>, Roger Cohen applauded Poland’s emergence from its past political tribulations: “Poland should shame every nation that believes peace and reconciliation are impossible, every state that believes the sacrifice of new generations is needed to avenge the grievances of history.”<br />
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As heartache abates and normalcy returns, Poland has the chance to practice another great virtue of successful public diplomacy: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/publications/perspectives/CPDPerspectivesLessons.pdf" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="listening">listening</a>. This moment in the spotlight is a golden opportunity to digest international public opinion, and to capitalize on the emerging image of Poland as a powerful and stable nation with a vibrant economy and balanced politics. The message being transmitted back to Poland is <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2010/0413/After-plane-crash-Poland-must-remember-Lech-Kaczynski-and-then-move-ahead" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="clear ">clear </a>and will endure beyond this moment of international empathy. There is no need to dwell on historical conflicts and repression, nor even Poland’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OoSdnebLxw" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="former grandeur or cutting-edge political leadership">former grandeur or cutting-edge political leadership of the past</a> —Poland has arrived as a great nation of today, and as a respected contributing member of the European Union, it is expected to stay that way.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Krysta Close</a></b> is a graduate student in the Master of Public Diplomacy Program. With an academic background in music and Chinese-language studies, her P.D. career has focused on the regions of China and Poland and the areas of sustainable peace-building and cultural diplomacy. She is the manager of the<a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Polish Music Center">Polish Music Center</a> in USC's Thornton School of Music. Her Polish grandfather narrowly escaped the massacre in Katyn through a combination of military instinct and impeccable timing.</i><br />
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<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/despite_polands_grief_there_is_much_to_celebrate/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/despite_polands_grief_there_is_much_to_celebrate/</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-62850078037134330342010-04-14T16:12:00.000-07:002010-04-14T16:12:00.997-07:00Neon Tommy- What Substance are Karzai's Marble Made Of? by Justin Rashin 4.15.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">What Substance Are Karzai's Marbles Made Of?<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Justin Rashid</span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><em>Columnist</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/KarzaiCrazy_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">World Economic Forum</a>)</div><div>Afghan President <a href="http://www.president.gov.af/sroot_eng.aspx?id=166" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Hamid Karzai</a> has been courting controversy lately. He <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125468338" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">blamed</a> the U.N. for the fraud that marred the 2009 presidential <a href="http://www.iec.org.af/results/Index.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">elections</a>, claiming there was an international conspiracy to stop him being re-elected. He <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7094217.ece" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">threatened</a> to block a NATO summer offensive against insurgents in the south. Oh, and he's been <a href="http://slatest.slate.com/id/2250264/entry/6/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">accused</a> of being an overly emotional heroin addict, irredeemably corrupt, and an incapable partner of the U.S. Even more bizarrely, it is also <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36178710/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">alleged</a> that he privately threatened to quit the political process and join the Taliban. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Let's look at each in turn. Why would Karzai pick a verbal fight with the West, one that seems to have escalated to a personal <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6342QQ20100405" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">one-on-one</a> with the White House? Well, Karzai was essentially installed as president by the U.S. after the toppling of the Taliban government in 2001 and the subsequent <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2005/RP05-072.pdf" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Bonn Process</a>. Ever since, many Afghans have accused Karzai of being a U.S. puppet, enjoying money from the West, sitting back and letting NATO troops run about the country. Recently though, Karzai's bubble in Kabul has been burst. The past nine months have seen an <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8538005.stm" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">increase</a> in attacks in the Afghan capital, and locals are suffering economically as property prices <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/5090789/Kabul-property-boom-bucks-world-trend.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">skyrocket</a>. Perhaps the people around Karzai are finally urging him to show them what his marbles are made of. Perhaps standing up to the U.S. is his way of doing it.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On a <a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41962000/gif/_41962624_kandahar_map203x152.gif" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">visit</a> to his home province of Kandahar, Karzai was sharply <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8602764.stm" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">cricitised</a> by elders for not doing enough to stem corruption and nepotism. The elders also told Karzai that the former Taliban capital was not ready for a NATO offensive against insurgents, which U.S. troops are preparing for this summer. (By the way, did anybody ask this question ahead of other NATO offensives, such as <a href="http://www.isaf.nato.int/images/stories/File/2010-02-CA-059-Backgrounder-Operation%20Moshtarak.pdf" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Operation Moshtarak</a>?) Karzai replied that he might delay or even cancel the offensive. Listening to the elders in this way sounds like a president doing his job, but it has compounded U.S. frustration with Karzai.</div><div><br />
</div><div>These actions led <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_W._Galbraith" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Peter Galbraith</a>, former U.N. representative in Afghanistan, to call Karzai an <a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/article_03e20f07-d1e8-577d-8934-3446a61e5d6e.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">incapable</a> partner for the U.S. By way of explanation, Galbraith hints that Karzai's marbles may be made of Afghanistan's top export (opium). Crazy comments like "maybe I'll join the Taliban" suddenly make sense.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So what if Karzai's marbles are made of opium? At least he seems to have some marbles at all. Opium is woven so tightly into the fabric of Afghanistan that it would be unusual if Karzai was not connected to drugs somehow. His brother, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/k/ahmed_wali_karzai/index.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Ahmed Wali Karza</a>i, is well-known within Afghanistan to reap huge profits from the opium trade. The same goes for corruption and nepotism. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Western standards of zero tolerance for drugs and corruption cannot and should not be applied to Afghanistan because they have been part of the culture there for thousands of years. Yes, their levels should be managed to a reasonable point, but we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking they can be eliminated altogether. You can be corrupt and on drugs and still make the right decision.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Karzai is emotional at the moment? That doesn't mean he's on drugs. Afghans are emotional people. It's actually about time Karzai showed some emotion.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><i>Justin Rashid is a graduate student in the Masters of Public Diplomacy program. </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><i>This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (<a href="http://www.uscapds.org/" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">www.uscapds.org</a>)</i></span></span></div><div><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/what-substance-are-karzais-mar.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/what-substance-are-karzais-mar.html</a></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-57582985771825704182010-04-14T16:09:00.001-07:002010-04-14T16:09:41.493-07:00Neon Tommy- Obama's Nuclear Summit: Did It Matter? by Matthew Wallin 4.14.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">Obama's Nuclear Summit: Did It Matter?<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Matthew Wallin </span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/NuclearSummit_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nznationalparty/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">nznationalparty</a>)</div><div>This week, President Obama convened a<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/world/14summit.html?hpw" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">gathering</a> of 47 nations in Washington, D.C., for the world's first Nuclear Security summit -- deemed the "largest gathering of world leaders on U.S. soil" since the founding of the UN in 1945. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The results of the conference appear promising, with solid commitments by a number of nations to reduce stockpiles and to take actions that would help lessen the threat of proliferation. Notably, Ukraine, scarred by the experience of Chernobyl and still battling its aftermath, agreed to convert its existing reactors to low-grade status and remove its entire stock of highly enriched uranium. </div><div><br />
</div><div>As a bonus to the new START treaty, the U.S. and Russia also signed an update to a 2000 agreement on the reduction of weapons-grade plutonium. And in a win for the Obama Administration, China has warmed to the idea of discussing sanctions against Iran. Perhaps best of all, the attendees promised to secure all nuclear material within four years. Appropriately, the next summit will be held in Seoul in 2012.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But not all is rosy in Washington, as the summit has not been without its hiccups. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Highlighting tensions between the U.S. and Israel, at the last moment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu elected not to attend. Reasoning that the conference would be used as a platform by Arab nations to attack Israel's policy of nuclear ambiguity, his decision could preclude the opening of an important dialogue on a topic that is of the utmost concern to Israeli security. Pointing out that Israel is not a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signatory, Foreign Policy's Avner Cohen <a href="http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/04/12/the_leader_who_was_afraid_to_show_up_israel_and_the_nuclear_security_summit" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">notes</a> that Netanyahu's participation in the Nuclear Summit would have helped the image of Israel as a responsible nuclear power. Interestingly, Obama ducked the reporters' questions about Israel, saying that his position is consistent with that of previous administrations.</div><div><br />
</div><div>A key element of the summit was loose nukes. Buzz about the ability of terrorist or criminal organizations to get their hands on loose nukes has circulated wildly over the past decade. Of particular concern has been the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal -- security that was especially questionable when, in 2009, Taliban elements seized control of areas within 70 miles of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. While American and Pakistani leaders have publicly stated that the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons is not at risk, questions remain about the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence's alleged support of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Though Obama expectedly reconfirmed U.S. commitment to Pakistan's nuclear security, he gave no specifics as to what this actually entails.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Finally, there are Iran and North Korea. In a move hardly considered surprising, Iran announced its own upcoming summit, titled "Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for No One." More than 60 nations have been invited and the Iranians insist the summit will be successful. While success may be relative, the Obama administration must consider the pull that this conference may have on Russian or Chinese interests. </div><div><br />
</div><div>With regards to North Korea, Obama appeared to have one foot set in fantasy, and another in reality. Though he correctly recognized that "sanctions are not a magic wand," he expressed hope that continuing pressure on the North Korean government will bring them back to the six party talks -- a process widely regarded as failed. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Nuclear security efforts will take time. Time is a luxury that nuclear half-life affords, and security does not. </div><div><br />
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</div><div><i>Matthew Wallin is a second-year master's candidate in the Master of Public Diplomacy program. This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/obamas-nuclear-summit-did-it-m.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/obamas-nuclear-summit-did-it-m.html</a></i></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-85929456683336852462010-04-13T10:15:00.000-07:002010-04-13T10:10:49.913-07:00Neon Tommy- A Glimmer of Hope in Palestine by Naomi Leight 4.10.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">A Glimmer Of Hope In Palestine<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Naomi Leight </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/PeacfulProtest_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rustystewart/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Rusty Stewart</a>)</div><div>From stalled pre-negotiation discussions to the growing divide between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government, the small area of land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River is always in the news -- and not in a generally positive way. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Time and again negotiations for a final status agreement on Israel and Palestine have failed. Armed resistance and military retaliation has caused nothing but suffering on both sides. Palestinian statehood and Israeli security are as far away as ever. </div><div><br />
</div><div>However there has been one new glimmer of hope -- Palestinian self-empowerment and non-violent protest. The New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/middleeast/07westbank.html?ref=world" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">reported</a> this week that senior Palestinian leadership have been participating in "unarmed protest marches" to encourage Palestinian self-empowerment in building a sovereign Palestine.</div><div><br />
</div><div>While there is some <a href="http://www.indypendent.org/2010/04/07/the-new-york-times-distorts-history-of-nonviolent-palestinian-resistance/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">debate</a> as to whether these protests are truly non-violent, as there have been reports of burning settler-made goods, and whether or not the non-violence movement is a new occurrence, passive resistance could be an important tool for Palestinians. Non-violent protest is a way for the Palestinian people to demonstrate their opposition to the occupation without weapons, violence or threats. </div><div><br />
</div><div>A key to building a future Palestine is to work toward Palestinian self-empowerment. The development of a stronger Palestinian civil society through its economy, infrastructure and other components necessary for an independent state, allow Palestinians to take back the fate of their sovereignty. As Economic Minister Hasan Abu Libdeh said, "We want ordinary people to feel like stockholders in the process of building a state". </div><div><br />
</div><div>While advocating a two-state solution through negotiations, a collective Palestinian movement for nonviolent resistance and self-empowerment is a positive step towards achieving a solution to the conflict. Palestinians need to be invested in the process of building Palestine and take ownership of their state; Israelis must feel that the Palestinian state being built won't threaten its security. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The public that the Palestinians must try to reach in their shift towards non-violence is not the world, but the Israelis. Palestinians should not use this opportunity as an attempt to isolate Israel in global public opinion, but rather as a means to reach out to the Israeli people to build trust. When Palestine is indeed a sovereign nation, Israelis need to trust they will have a neighbor that will not engage in violence, but instead exist as a neighbor with whom they can live next to, side-by-side. And Palestinians must believe that Israel will act likewise.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Even if a peace accord is signed between the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority, the people of the two countries need to trust each other. Actions speak louder than words--and peaceful protest on both sides of the Green Line for a two-state solution could speak loudest.</div><div><br />
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</div><div><i>Naomi Leight is a second year master's candidate in the Master of Public Diplomacy program. She is the Managing Editor of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's periodical, </i><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/research/PDiN_Monitor" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;"><i>PDiN Monitor</i></a><i> and the Social Events Chair for the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (APDS).This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/a-glimmer-of-hope-in-palestine.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/a-glimmer-of-hope-in-palestine.html</a></i></div></div></span>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-86621291761070234272010-04-13T10:11:00.001-07:002010-04-13T10:11:59.921-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- The Green Rule of Corporate Diplomacy by Martha Adams 4.9.10<div><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_green_rule_of_corporate_diplomacy_business_30/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">THE GREEN RULE OF CORPORATE DIPLOMACY: BUSINESS 3.0?</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">APR 9, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/author/APDS_Bloggers/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><i>All posts by APDS Bloggers</i></a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_green_rule_of_corporate_diplomacy_business_30/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Martha Adams</a></b><br />
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Green is <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/green" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="not just a color">not just a color</a>. Culturally, green can have contradictory meanings within its spectrum of usage. It is often associated with slang for money or ‘green with envy’, while the opposite end of its range of meaning is closely related to the Old English verb <i>growan </i>or “to grow” [plant life], or more relevant today, sustainable practices and formation of trust.<br />
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Any one of these cultural definitions alone does not adequately encompass all the meanings of green as it pertains to Corporate Diplomacy. Here, just as the color green is created in the Subtractive Color System by mixing yellow and blue, an alternate image of green applicable to businesses can be developed by blending the concepts of ‘Innovation’ and the ‘Golden Rule’.<br />
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Variations of the Golden Rule appear world-wide throughout many cultures, tribes, and religions, dating back to ancient times. Its English version is commonly linked to Jesus of Nazareth in the Biblical book of Matthew, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”.<br />
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Trust goes hand in hand with the Golden Rule; typically we trust those individuals we know well and who also treat us well, such as neighbors or family members. When transitioning from the living room of one’s home to the board room and then venturing into the consumer market, one sees trust is equally as important in forming meaningful relationships and consumer confidence.<br />
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Edelman, the leading independent global Public Relations Firm, released its<a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/25827302?access_key=key-x9q37hmaxnm7cevdung" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="2010 Trust Barometer">2010 Trust Barometer</a> in January 2010 and was a focal point of discussion recently in a USC seminar course on Corporate Diplomacy. <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/26268655?access_key=key-1ovbgbpawooot3hnsz3u" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="This study">This study</a>documents a major shift in global opinion that should revolutionize the way business is conducted world-wide (see <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/25827318?access_key=key-gaymwtsj43pfyuoa2v9" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Methodology">Methodology</a>).<br />
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For the first time in the ten-year history of Edelman Annual Trust Barometer Reports, trust and transparency are ranked as being more important to corporate reputation than the quality of the products and services provided. In fact, 54% of people in the United States trust business and an average of 60% in most BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). These factors of trust and transparency far outweigh the importance of financial returns, which is now listed by respondents at the bottom of all criteria.<br />
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It should not be a complete surprise that the ranking of financial returns shifted 180 degrees since 2006. Perhaps this is due to the downturn of the global economy, as approximately 70% of respondents believe business and finance companies will revert to their old habits when the financial crisis is over.<br />
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However, is it really the economic downturn, as identified by respondents, which changed the way people think about business? Why have respondents identified their ability to trust a company is currently of highest importance? There are many schools of thought that identify catalysts, which range from downward trending economic forces to a return to core family values. They also include an upward trend in global environmental awareness and populations well informed on global issues. Whatever the reasons, executives should recognize this shift as an opportunity to get their foot in the door, gain trust, and increase their social capital so they may draw upon it in the future.<br />
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Perhaps it is beneficial to analyze trust at the individual company level in order to understand this future benefit. On March 2, Gallup released results from their poll entitled, “<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/126236/Americans-Toyota-Owners-Confident-Toyota-Vehicles.aspx" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Americans, Toyota Owners Still Confident in Toyota Vehicles">Americans, Toyota Owners Still Confident in Toyota Vehicles</a>”. Amazingly, while a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6230DJ20100304" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="March 4 Reuters article">March 4 Reuters article</a> noted that a total of 7.2 million recall notices were issued in the United States with more than 50 United States crash deaths attributed to mechanical problems, 74% of Toyota owners say they have not lost confidence in Toyota, 82% believe their cars are still safe, and 79% would buy another Toyota!<br />
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This is a paramount example of brand loyalty and trust. There is no doubt Toyota accumulated consumer trust during the past fifty years of their existence. Toyota demonstrated this in a recently aired apologetic<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZoBfpm1zHg" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="commercial">commercial</a>, framed in the beginning and end by black and white scenes reminiscent of car dealers from fifty years ago, and highlighting the perception of safe, reliable, high quality vehicles with a focus on core family values. While Toyota may lose some sales in the coming days, it seems its future as a company has not been completely destroyed and potentially will be saved by this element of family trust.<br />
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Well, what if a company does not have a historical reputation with an abundance of social capital? This corporation may be lucky enough to get its foot in the door early enough to take advantage of consumer psychological biases, which mandate a consumer change its behavior when trying a new product. Both the status quo bias and <a href="http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/endowment_effect.htm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="endowment effect ">endowment effect </a>must be overcome by the consumer. Such required psychological change is primarily due to the fact people largely overvalue benefits they currently posses relative to those they do not. So, the sooner a company enters the market and positions itself, the better.<br />
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In addition, new companies or existing businesses that wish to increase trust should look to innovation, not as a starting baseline, but as the focus for corporate culture. Trust is built among individuals through having innovative corporate diplomats practice cutting edge corporate diplomacy continuously. Such leaders must have an intuitive global mindset and executive skill-set which include a mutual respect and understanding of others, an ability to listen, understand, and adapt to foreign cultures, as well as have knowledge of emerging trends in sustainability and social media.<br />
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These qualities are necessary to possess in order to build trusting relationships and meet public expectations. The central strategy of a business should be rooted in these traits ultimately generated from the Golden Rule. Here is thus coined the “Green Rule”, or the business practice of using the Golden Rule to promote <i>green </i>sustainable growth both in society and in the company, while simultaneously generating a <i>green </i>profit.<br />
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Microsoft is among the corporations leading the way in this Green Rule movement. In January 2010, Microsoft created a new position entitled ‘<a href="http://www.briansolis.com/2010/01/my-new-job-corporate-public-diplomacy-via-innovative-social-engagement/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Director of Innovative Social Engagement">Director of Innovative Social Engagement</a>’. Time will tell if these job types are simply a passing trend or if other companies will jump on the Green Rule bandwagon for the long haul after fully recovering from the current recession.<br />
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Generation 2.0 of Government and the Web has succeeded in making information sharing and collaboration coexist both online and in public-private partnerships that have also been solidified into mainstream global culture. Business 2.0 features characteristics of Generation 2.0 incorporating social networking into its current campaigns.<br />
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Looking to the future, <a href="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2726190.ece" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Web 3.0">Web 3.0</a> will unfold with further web personalization ingrained in many aspects of life. It is inevitable this will lead to the creation of Generation 3.0 of business as well where businesses will take a broader approach and fully affect the lives of consumers. This budding age promises to have evidence of Green Rule components such as trust and full spectrum innovation as practiced by proper corporate diplomats.<br />
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Corporate desires strictly for a return on an investment will fade as companies begin to listen to and further focus on consumer desires of fulfilling meaningful relationships and promoting the greater good. Companies will find when they meet these consumer demands they are actually likely to see a return on an investment in the long run. Companies must rethink business strategy in order to be successful in the coming days in Business 3.0.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Martha Adams</a></b> is a first year graduate student in the Master of Public Diplomacy Program. A US Naval officer, she has traveled to 23 countries, and served as an intern at the World Trade Center Association, Los Angeles. Her areas of interest include corporate, design, and US military diplomacy as well as the cross-cultural psychology of communication.</i></span><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_green_rule_of_corporate_diplomacy_business_30/"></a><br />
<div><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_green_rule_of_corporate_diplomacy_business_30/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_green_rule_of_corporate_diplomacy_business_30/</a><br />
</div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-88509296383565561192010-04-07T12:09:00.000-07:002010-04-07T12:09:39.187-07:00Neon Tommy- Time for Pope Benedict to Start Talking by Mariana Gonzalez Insua 4.6.10<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">Time For Pope Benedict To Start Talking<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
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<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Mariana González Insua<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/PopeAbuse_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabdurakhmanov/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Sergey Gabdurakhmanov</a>)</div><div>The old issue of pedophile priests has come back to haunt the Catholic Church, as a series of fresh sexual abuse scandals threatens to shake the long-standing religious institution to its core. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The Church took the first big hit in early March, when a report revealed that the head of the Irish Catholic Church had been present at meetings in 1975 where children had signed vows of silence regarding their experiences with pedophile priests. Thereafter, allegations of child sexual abuse echoed across Europe in the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and even in Germany, where Pope Benedict XVI's brother was accused of being involved in some of the scandals and the pontiff himself was personally linked to the mishandling of the cases. The latest in this string of scandals surfaced less than two weeks ago in the US, when The New York Times<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/world/europe/25vatican.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">reported</a> the failure of the Vatican to defrock a priest who had molested some 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin. </div><div><br />
</div><div>What shocked the world, and the Catholic community in particular, has not only been the nature of these revelations but the Vatican's haphazard and ill-advised response. The Vatican's tone-deaf reactions include <a href="http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=362995" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">declarations</a>emphasizing that pedophilia is not a problem limited to the Catholic Church but one that affects society at large,<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/25/pope-accused-sparing-priest-suspected-sex-abuse/print" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">protests</a> against the international media for waging what the Vatican considers a smear campaign, an (unsuccessful) letter of the Pope to the Catholics of Ireland on sexual abuse (which, failing to punish Church leaders for past mistakes and lacking a mea culpa on the part of the Pope, simply added insult to injury), the launch of six Twitter channels where old Vatican declarations on sex abuse were tweeted, and the inappropriate <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_REL_JEWS_CATHOLIC_SCANDAL?SITE=MOJOP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">comparison</a> by Benedict's personal Preacher of the accusations levied against the Catholic Church to the "collective violence suffered by the Jews." </div><div><br />
</div><div>(Backpedaling, the Vatican had to do damage control by stating that those words did not represent the Church's official stance.) </div><div><br />
</div><div>What speaks loudest, however, is the Pope's silence on the issue. And when the world was expecting the head of the church to finally address the scandals during the Sunday Easter mass, it was instead subjected to Cardinal Sodano's<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/04/AR2010040402638.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">praise</a> of the Pope for rising above "petty gossip."</div><div><br />
</div><div>Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has shown impressive resiliency, and it is unlikely that the turmoil that is currently rocking the institution will bring about its demise. But it is also true that the competition the church faces for soul-share (a fact that led the 82-year old media-wary Pope to urge priests earlier this year reach out to the people by blogging) and the Vatican's blemished record, especially in light of the ongoing sex abuse scandals, will certainly prevent potential converts from joining the Church's ranks and might even alienate current members. </div><div><br />
</div><div>At this point, whatever the Church does to address the pedophilia allegations will almost certainly be too little too late. But if Benedict XVI wishes to defend his credibility and that of the institution he represents, he would do well to speak out, punish those involved in abuse cases and put measures in place to prevent this type of misconduct on the part of the clergy. </div><div><br />
</div><div>As for the future, he might consider hiring a public diplomacy team.</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Mariana González Insua is a first year student in USC's Masters of Public Diplomacy program. She is originally from Argentina and recently completed a Masters in Latin American Studies at Stanford University.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/time-for-pope-benedict-to-star.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/time-for-pope-benedict-to-star.html</a></i></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-25301787882904888662010-04-07T12:08:00.001-07:002010-04-07T12:08:21.547-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- The Sporty Spice of Colombia by Miles Knowles 4.5.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_sporty_spice_of_colombia/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">THE SPORTY SPICE OF COLOMBIA</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">APR 5, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/author/APDS_Bloggers/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><i>All posts by APDS Bloggers</i></a><br />
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<br />
<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/the_sporty_spice_of_colombia/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Miles Knowles</a></b><br />
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Even as most of North America was closing out the XXI Winter Olympics by viewing an epic hockey match between Canada and the U.S., America's Southern Hemisphere had already started preparing for their own version of the Summer Olympics. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_Games" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="South American Games">South American Games</a>, which featured over 5,000 athletes from fifteen different countries, came to a close earlier this week in Medellín, Colombia. The significance? The emergence of Colombian<a href="http://publicdiplomacy.wikia.com/wiki/Sports_Diplomacy" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="sports diplomacy">sports diplomacy</a> and its vital role in re-branding the country's image.<br />
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Colombia certainly tops the list of countries in need of a brand makeover. To most outsiders, Colombia evokes imagery of dense jungles, impoverished coca farmers, guerrillas, and of course, the drug lord Pablo Escobar.<br />
Despite its reputation, Colombia has undergone an incredible transformation from <a href="http://www.twq.com/02summer/mclean.pdf%20" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="almost-failed state">almost-failed state</a> to one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. With U.S. assistance, the Uribe Administration's security policies have reduced the capacities and numbers both of guerrillas and paramilitaries while decreasing the level of domestic coca cultivation.<br />
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When the Colombian government first approached a marketing consultant about re-branding the country's image in 1996, the consultant's reply was "<a href="http://nation-branding.info/2008/11/19/branding-colombia-with-passion" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Don't waste your time">Don't waste your time</a>." However, when the Colombian government rang him up again in 2004, the result was the establishment of <i>Colombia es Pasión </i>(Colombia is Passion). Since its inception, <i>Colombia es Pasión </i>has typically relied on tourism and cultural diplomacy as its principle Public Diplomacy outlets.<br />
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Until recently, the most recognizable cultural exports from Colombia were art, literature and music: Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez is one of the most well-known writers in the world and Fernando Botero's disproportional "fat" sculptures can be found all the way from Mexico City to Armenia. Colombia is also home to international megastars Shakira and Juanes, who will represent Colombia by singing at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Though the Colombian National Soccer Team did not punch their ticket to South Africa, Colombia will host the 2011 FIFA "Under 20" World Cup and intends to make a serious bid for the <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/soccer/story/13085731/colombia-plans-to-bid-to-host-2026-world-cup" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">FIFA World Cup in 2026</a>.<br />
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Colombian sports are on the rise as a useful public diplomacy resource. Five-time All-Star Edgar Rentería opened the door to Major League Baseball for his country and recently established the first professional league in Colombia. Juan Pablo Montoya and Camilo Villegas continue to compete (and win) internationally in NASCAR and PGA respectively. Even the former FARC stronghold of Villavicencio has garnered international praise for hosting the annual <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8598884.stm" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Cowgirl World Championships</a>. Colombian athletes competing in other countries' professional leagues and the increasing number of international sporting events hosted in Colombia demonstrate the potential sports diplomacy has for re-branding the country.<br />
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Colombia put down some serious pesos in hosting the South American Games. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_wmfIDAuGA" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">inauguration ceremony</a> featured world-class pyrotechnics and the choreography of Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone. Colombian Public Diplomacy efforts during the games were directed at both athletes and spectators in attendance. Entrance was free to all of the events at the Medellín million-dollar arenas and sports complexes constructed specifically for the Games. Particularly clever was the accommodation of international athletes in the same apartment complexes that Medellín has constructed as part of its <a href="http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/470" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">urban renewal projects.</a> Consequently, all athletes were issued a Metro pass to utilize Medellín's public transport (which include a MetroRail and Gondolas) to commute between the events and their accommodations. And despite an <a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8878-farc-plans-wave-of-urban-attacks-army.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">urban terror offensive</a> by the FARC, not one act of violence managed to disrupt the Games in Medellin.<br />
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Though this is not Colombia's first time hosting an international sporting event, the South American Games may have been its most important. Less than twenty years ago, Medellín was known as "<a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967029,00.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="the most dangerous city in the world">the most dangerous city in the world</a>," leading global homicides with 381 per 100,000 inhabitants. Hosting international events in Colombia's most infamous city is perhaps the best way of demonstrating the leaps and bounds Colombia has made in recent years to those who continue to doubt its progress. In any case, Colombian sports diplomacy will hopefully function as another cultural commodity in re-branding the country's image and distancing itself from its tumultuous past.<br />
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<i><b><a href="" name="bio">Miles Knowles</a></b> is a graduate of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. His interests and areas of expertise are Cultural Diplomacy and Sustainable Development in Latin America. He is currently living in South America doing freelance NGO work and blogging about his experience at <a href="http://rockstardiplomat.blogspot.com/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://rockstardiplomat.blogspot.com/">http://rockstardiplomat.blogspot.com/</a></i>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-53920293749385593972010-04-07T12:07:00.000-07:002010-04-07T12:07:37.128-07:00Neon Tommy- Let's Make a Nuclear Deal by Katherina Jawaharlal 4.5.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">Let's Make A Nuclear Deal<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
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<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Katherina Jawaharlal<br />
<em>Columnist</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/NuclearDeal_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucias_clay/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Lucias Clay</a>)</div><div>The US and Russia have come a long way since the Cold War. </div><div><br />
</div><div>On April 8, 2010 the US and Russia will sign a new nuclear deal, a demonstration of mutual trust between two nuclear heavyweights. The <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvGU7F0PRInHucwkFuhHj-uyuMaAD9EL0K180" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">signing in Prague</a> will officiate the long-standing discussions that began in April 2009 for the first new nuclear treaty since the expiration of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in December. </div><div><br />
</div><div>President Obama and President Medvedev represent the world's largest nuclear arsenal, 95 percent of all nuclear weapons are held by the superpowers. The new treaty<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8589385.stm" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">will limit</a> operationally deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 - down from current levels of 2,200 to 2,700. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Following the 2002 <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/world/europe/18shield.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Moscow Treaty</a>, where both states agreed to cut strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700-2,200 by 2012, the US and Russia are about to banish all Cold War sentiments and set a precedence in actively disengaging their nuclear arsenal. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Though lingering hesitation from Republicans in the US and conservative defense experts in Russia, the diplomacy implications are positive on both ends. For the US, Russia is a key player in Iran and an important source of support in Afghanistan. Improving relations and fostering mutual trust is a priority for President Obama. A US-Russian nuclear treaty will bolster global unity in reining in 'rogue states,' including Iran and North Korea. Kudos to Obama for bolstering global support and building momentum for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty security summit to be held in the US this May. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The Kremlin's chips lie in their nuclear arsenal, keeping Russia a formidable global power despite the economic repercussions of the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. While signing a new and improved START agreement is in Medvedev's best interest, there are those in his country, including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who just can't seem to relinquish power and who are wary of dismantling Russia's weaponry. </div><div><br />
</div><div>"America needs nuclear weapons less and less, because it is shifting its focus toward high-precision conventional weapons of both defensive and offensive types. Russia, on the other hand, depends increasingly upon its nuclear deterrent as the bedrock of our national security." <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0325/US-Russia-nuclear-deal-worries-some-in-Moscow/%28page%29/2" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">said</a> Alexander Konovalov, President of the independent Institute for Strategic Assessments in Moscow. </div><div><br />
</div><div>However, Russia has much to gain in soft power by committing to decrease their formidable nuclear arsenal. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Nuclear cooperation between Russia and the US has no doubt taken a turn for the better. By aligning themselves against the threat of a nuclear Iran and increasingly menacing North Korea, the two nuclear hegemonies are in a peculiar position of embracing nuclear diplomacy. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Though a long way to go from complete dismantlement, the reduction in nuclear arsenal is a positive message to the non-nuclear holding state signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While rumor has it that the delay in signing the treaty is due to differences between Obama and Medvedev, it's pretty good timing for Obama before the<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62P3WD20100326" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Nuclear NPT Security Summit</a>. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Bolstering U.S. image abroad by decreasing nuclear arsenal has never been so timely.<br />
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<a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/lets-make-a-nuclear-deal.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/lets-make-a-nuclear-deal.html</a></div><div><br />
</div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-16142169130992780412010-03-31T11:11:00.000-07:002010-03-31T11:13:27.921-07:00Neon Tommy- A Policy for the Cuban People by Danielle Skloven 3.31.10<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">A Policy For The Cuban People<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Danielle Skloven </span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/CubanPeople_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7624662@N05/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Franco Cheung</a>)</div><div>Throngs of protestors turned out for marches in cities around the world (including<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2010/03/cuba-rally-los-angeles.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Los Angeles</a>) last weekend to draw attention to the plight of political dissidents in Cuba. These demonstrations followed an event on Thursday of last week in Miami attended by tens of thousands and led by Cuban-American musician Gloria Estefan.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The protests were spurred by an incident that took place a week ago in Havana. Cuban security forces <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/ladies-in-white-attacked_b_504817.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">attacked</a> the so-called "Ladies in White"--mothers, daughters, and wives of political prisoners--and dragged them off the streets into awaiting vans. The Ladies were walking silently holding flowers as they do each year to commemorate the anniversary of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Spring_(Cuba)" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Black Spring,</a>" the day the Cuban government jailed 75 human rights activists.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Will the increased level of clamor from abroad push Cuban leadership to rethink its policy? Not likely. Although Obama openly <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8586886.stm" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">condemned</a> the regime's repressive tactics last week, only time will tell whether or not these words are supported by substantive deeds. Earlier in his term, Obama hinted at a rapprochement with Havana by easing restrictions on Cuban-American travel to the island and initiating talks on migration issues and resumption of direct mail service. Obama's stick-and-carrot strategy of relaxing some policies while maintaining a message of disapproval for Cuba's human rights record has failed to engage leaders in Cuba.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Raul Castro has repeatedly attacked Washington for its (often secret) support of Cuban dissidents, labeling the U.S an imperialist force bent of regaining control over Cuba. Such imagery finds sympathy in the hearts of many Cubans, who easily recall American military forays into various Caribbean nations throughout the twentieth century. Meanwhile, it is widely recognized that the State Department funds opposition groups within Cuba and in Miami--a constant stick in the eye of the Cuban Communist party.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The recent <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/23/1496572/cuban-activist-dies-on-hunger.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">death</a> of a dissident after a prolonged hunger strike illustrates the unwavering obstinacy of the Cuban government to give in to pressure -- either internal or external. Rather than provoking the ire of the regime through inflammatory Martí broadcasts (which are mostly blocked by the Cuban government and thus a drain on U.S. funding) and pro-democracy leaflets, U.S. efforts should be focused on providing basic needs to the Cuban people - not political ideology. </div><div><br />
</div><div>By offering the citizens of Cuba much-needed medical supplies, food, and other necessities, the U.S. will be implicitly illustrating the merits of democracy. Furthermore, such policies would undermine Cuban officials' constant effort to vilify the U.S. as the source of the island nation's woes.</div><div><br />
</div><div>If the current tension in Washington-Havana relations can be lowered, the possibility of allowing American tourists back on the island may ultimately become a reality. In November, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) drafted a bipartisan Senate bill calling for an end to the ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. If such a policy became law, people-to-people contacts between the two nations would increase exponentially. Ordinary American citizens are often the most effective ambassadors, and such contact would do much to eliminate distrust between the two nations. </div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Danielle Skloven is in her second year of the Masters of Public Diplomacy program. She has worked in international advertising and PR as well as with the World Trade Center-LA. Danielle received a BA of International Relations from USC as well. </i></div><div><br />
</div><i>This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</i><br />
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<i>http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/a-policy-for-the-cuban-people.html</i></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-29583532053204972542010-03-27T08:45:00.000-07:002010-03-27T08:45:53.029-07:00The Huffington Post- This Isn't Your Parents' Cultural Diplomacy by Tala Mohebi 3.26.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
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list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Tala Mohebi</a></h2><div class="blog_posted_date" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; clear: both; color: dimgrey; font: normal normal bold 11px/normal Arial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Posted: March 26, 2010 03:32 PM</div><div class="blog_posted_date" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; clear: both; color: dimgrey; font: normal normal bold 11px/normal Arial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tala-mohebi/this-isnt-your-parents-cu_b_515104.html" id="title_permalink" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #111111; font-size: 32px !important; font: normal normal bold 20px/22px Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 36px !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; 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</b></span></span></div></b></span></span><div class="read_more" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-weight: bold; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 7px;"></div><div class="blog_content blog_design_a" id="entry_body" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Georgia, Century, Times, serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
<div class="entry_body_text" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It used to be that Dizzy Gillespie was dispatched by the U.S. Department of State to play overseas and Cold War divisions were gently eased. In 1956, this simple offering allowed foreign publics to find new ways to relate to Americans and their musical ingenuity. Similarly, the Ping Pong diplomats of the 1970's that took sports culture and broke down hardened barriers of entry into China proved to be a great and often cited success of cultural diplomacy functioning for policy. While these traditional types of exchange continue to supplement state-to-state diplomatic relations, communicating with foreign publics needs to adapt to the ever-changing communications landscape.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The end of the Cold War signaled many changes in the offices charged with conducting public and cultural diplomacy. Significantly, the budgets set aside for cultural programs have tended to decline while the demands of engaging broader (including more age-diverse) publics have continued to increase. This paradox has been especially apparent through haphazard and compulsive cultural programs put forward by the United States. Alternatively, many countries have used the post 9/11 period to pursue innovative programs working with new technologies and communication networks.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As an example, the Nigerian film industry, known as "Nollywood," has come to play a significant role in representing the country both regionally and internationally. Nollywood came to prominence in the early 1990's and has since become the second largest movie industry in terms of annual production, overtaking Hollywood in the process. The types of films produced vary in their genres and stories, but a significant element of creating over 1,000 movies annually, is the ability to represent stories from this African country from the viewpoint of its inhabitants. No longer is the image of Africa solely shown through the lens of Western media. Changing the storyteller's perspective has broadened and balanced the realities of life in Africa. Recognizing this opportunity, the Minister of Information and Communication of Nigeria enlisted Nollywood in 2009 to serve as part of its rebranding project. Using film as a central part of this initiative, the Nigerian government hopes to distinguish its country and reveal the cultural assets it can offer. Nollywood films are available in remote areas of Africa and to American viewers through Internet and satellite connections. The opportunities for rebranding Nigeria's image and opening space for dialogue about the art coming from Africa are precisely what makes Nollywood a prime example of a new wave of cultural diplomacy.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While Nigeria directly reached out to its Nollywood community for assistance with public diplomacy programs, other countries have begun to recognize the power of their cultural assets. Japan has recently begun to harness the vast amount of interest and excitement generated by its manga (comics) and anime (animated film) arts. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has recently tapped into this wealth of curiosity to incorporate its public diplomacy messages into the dissemination of these art forms. Initiatives have been launched to promote Japanese language studies as well as travel and tourism to Japan through various expos and other pop-culture events. Additionally MOFA has made direct use of these cultural assets by appointing, for example, an anime Ambassador who has hosted nearly 120 screenings of anime movies in over 60 cities around the world. These programs are not intended to replace other, more traditionally focused elements of public diplomacy, but the openness to engaging with younger generations interested in this aspect of Japanese culture points to the adaptability and potential for furthering Japanese cultural diplomacy programs.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Present day cultural diplomacy bears the characteristic mark of being influenced by ever-greater and more physically distant individuals connecting through new forms of communications technologies. The Internet and tools of social networking create real-time dialogue that relays messages and responses in addition to channeling visual and audio materials that previously would have been filtered through television or radio outlets to determine if they would ever be made available to the public. In the new communication landscape, as the amount of cultural content available broadens its content becomes more diverse.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Cultural diplomats may raise eyebrows about the particular arts and content being used today. But as always, the subjective nature of culture leaves endless room to debate each item a country presents as representative of its nation's offerings. The value of a cultural diplomacy program can only be gauged by its ability to engage with foreign audiences and adapt to their means of communicating in meaningful ways. Nigeria and Japan, as two of countless countries that can be selected for their innovative programs, have proven yet again that the role of culture in public dialogue cannot be overvalued. Promoting understanding through the sharing of cultural programs continues to be a vital element in the promotion of a state's interests no matter how different the content may look over the years.</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-style: italic !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tala Mohebi is a graduate student in Masters of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. She is Editor-in-Chief of <a href="http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #0088c3; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">Public Diplomacy Magazine</a>, a bi-annual publication that brings together works from scholars and practitioners in the field of public diplomacy.</em></div></div></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-71802982954916074652010-03-25T16:58:00.000-07:002010-03-25T21:51:17.530-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Korean Tacos and Kimchi Diplomacy by Paul Rockower 3.25.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/korean_tacos_and_kimchi_diplomacy/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">KOREAN TACOS AND KIMCHI DIPLOMACY</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAR 25, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/author/APDS_Bloggers/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><i>All posts by APDS Bloggers</i></a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/korean_tacos_and_kimchi_diplomacy/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Paul Rockower</a></b><br />
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“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”<br />
- James Beard<br />
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South Korea has recently launched a serious re-branding effort. The South Korean government has been worried that the country’s brand has been underperforming in years past, and not at the level befitting a country that is the solid <a href="http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/summer_2009.pdf" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="middle power">middle power</a> that South Korea believes itself to be. There was consternation at the fact that Korean brands had better awareness recognition than the country, or that often, when recognized, Korean brands were mistaken for Japanese models.<br />
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Seoul has held <a href="http://www.tradeforum.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/978/Branding_Korea_.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="public diplomacy commissions">public diplomacy commissions</a> and brought in the experts to discuss how to raise awareness of Korea in the international community. The government tried various slogans with the <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/02/113_60112.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="appropriate buzzwords">appropriate buzzwords</a> that never exactly connected or meant anything (‘Sparkling'? 'Be Inspired'? Really?).<br />
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One area that the Korean government has recently chosen as a target for outreach is the realm of gastrodiplomacy. Gastrodiplomacy, simply put, is the act of winning hearts and minds through stomachs. The technique of gastrodiplomacy was perfected by Thailand as it used its kitchens and restaurants as outposts of cultural diplomacy. Given the growing popularity of Thai restaurants around the globe the government of Thailand implemented the “Global Thai program” in 2002 as a means to increase the number of Thai restaurants worldwide.<br />
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The Thai government’s rationale, <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5037/is_200202/ai_n18268281/?tag=content;col1" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="<i>The Economist</i> noted"><i>The Economist</i> noted</a>, was that the boom in restaurants would, “ not only introduce delicious spicy Thai food to thousands of new tummies and persuade more people to visit Thailand, but it could subtly help deepen relations with other countries.”<br />
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More recently, the Los Angeles dining scene <a href="http://www.latimes.com/theguide/restaurants/la-fo-kogi11-2009feb11,0,4560062.story" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="has been abuzz">has been abuzz</a> with Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine. The <a href="http://kogibbq.com/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Kogi Taco Truck">Kogi Taco Truck</a>, which sends out its location via Twitter and features Korean-Mexican fusion fare, has become a veritable cult phenomenon on the LA dining scene. When it first opened, lines snaked for up to two hours, as hungry diners waited to eat barbecued beef tacos slathered in Korean “salsa roja,” and topped with cilantro, onions, cabbage slaw and soy-sesame chili. The <i>Los Angeles Times</i> comments on the popularity, “perhaps it’s the exquisite cultural co-mingling inherent in the food that draws the crowds; the only-in-LA combination of two of the city’s most beloved ethnic cuisines.”<br />
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According to Kogi owner Roy Choi, the idea, “was to bring his ethnic background together with the sensibility and geography of Los Angeles, where Koreatown abuts Latin-dominated neighborhoods in midcity, and where food cultures have long merged. Former Mexican restaurants, now Korean, serve burritos, and Mexican workers populate the kitchens of Korean restaurants.” The popularity of Kogi and Korean-Mexican fusion food has led to a mushrooming of Korean taco trucks getting involved in the act, although Kogi is still the best (in my opinion). Korean taco trucks have now also <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2009/04/eat_it_kogi_truck_nyc_has_korean_tacos_too.php" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="begun to pop up in New York">begun to pop up in New York</a>.<br />
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Moreover, other ethnic foods are also pushing fusion cuisine like the Indian-Mexican tikka tacos and chicken masala quesadillas available at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/23rd-St-Cafe/73509069406" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="23rd Street Café">23rd Street Café</a> near USC, Japanese tacos found in Little Tokyo and Chinese tacos from<a href="http://www.donchowtacos.com/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Don Chow’s">Don Chow’s</a> (the ginger lime-marinated tofu tacos are incredible). Most recently, I found a Mexi-terranean taco truck called Kabob Express that served shwarma tacos.<br />
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The point of this blog is not to cause hunger pangs, but to point out one of the most serious and central components of Public Diplomacy: listening. When public diplomacy actors pay attention to local and global public opinion rather than gluttonously engaging in advocacy, they are more adept at taking advantage of unorthodox openings created by authentic cultural innovations to carry out enhanced public diplomacy.<br />
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At present, the preponderance of various fusion food trucks led to an <a href="http://lastreetfoodfest.com/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="LA Street Food Festival">LA Street Food Festival</a>. It would have been a wise PD investment for the Korean Consulate of Los Angeles to help sponsor such an event, or try to push something similar. For all that Korea is spending trying to rebrand itself and push Korean gastrodiplomacy, it would be better served listening and looking for examples of organic, authentic and homegrown outlets of cultural gastrodiplomacy like the Korean taco truck. My advice is not free, mind you - the Korean Consulate may kindly pay my consulting fees in the form of bulgogi tacos covered in kimchi.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2393434927903477229&postID=7180298295491607465" name="bio"></a><b>Paul Rockower</b>, gastronomist, is a candidate for a Master’s of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California. He is the Communications Chair for the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (APDS) and a Contributing Researcher at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.</i><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/korean_tacos_and_kimchi_diplomacy/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/korean_tacos_and_kimchi_diplomacy/</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-89165814774835720532010-03-25T15:13:00.000-07:002010-03-25T15:13:21.689-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- Google Diplomacy by Peter Winter 3.25.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/google_diplomacy/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">GOOGLE DIPLOMACY</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAR 25, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/author/APDS_Bloggers/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><i>All posts by APDS Bloggers</i></a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/google_diplomacy/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Peter Winter </a></b><br />
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Is Google bold? It takes some serious courage to stand up to the gatekeepers of the world’s biggest market. By refusing to kowtow to the Chinese censors, the tech company that built its fortunes on the free flow of information stood up for its business model, not to mention the ideals of its home country.<br />
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Even the act itself was elegant. Rather than simply shutting down its Chinese website, Google transferred all visitors to the censorship-free Hong Kong website. It <i>is</i> still China, right? This “diplomatic” approach allowed the Silicon Valley giant to cross the cavernous fault line between morality and business.<br />
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Or is Google dumb? The Chinese powers that be have already hit back, charging Google with breaking its written promise to the country and acting as a White House pawn. The company’s hopes of protecting its advertising and research divisions within China are fading fast as state media and government officials lash out.<br />
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You often hear about how important “face” is in China. Similar to one’s reputation in the West, the concept has a more collectivist tint in the Middle Kingdom. People will go to seemingly absurd lengths to save face - if you have ever seen a street side shouting match in Beijing, then you have some sense of just how important one’s public appearance is to the Chinese.<br />
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Perhaps the worst possible way to get the Chinese government to change is by making them lose face. In almost every diplomatic tussle between the two countries, a head-on approach invariably leads to both sides digging in. There is a saying popular among American diplomats in China: It means “steadfast and unwavering,” and is regularly evoked in regards to the U.S.’s One-China policy (there is only one China on either side of the Strait). The same idiom perfectly captures China’s central government: while U.S. foreign policy can be stubborn, Chinese foreign policy is downright immovable.<br />
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The best approach is to push China’s leaders from the side, deflecting their energies toward more beneficial ends. Rather than confront the government outright, Google could have better served its own interests through quiet, backdoor negotiation. Perhaps Silicon Valley has a ways to go in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ernest-j-wilson/google-china-and-us-forei_b_443741.html" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="its foreign policy">its foreign policy</a>.<br />
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What is unclear, however, is how Google’s move is influencing the Chinese public. Are ordinary people content without a free flow of information? The flowers left at the company’s front door make me think no. It’s not that Google’s move is an “Oh my god! We are being censored!” moment, but it may serve as the tipping point for an already simmering public, ready to join the modern, technology-open world.<br />
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<i><a href="" name="bio"><b>Peter Winter</b></a> is a second year student in the Master of Public Diplomacy program, and managing editor of <a href="http://uschina.usc.edu/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="US-China Today">US-China Today</a></i>.<br />
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<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/google_diplomacy/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/google_diplomacy/</a>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-29910900939502000952010-03-24T11:52:00.000-07:002010-03-24T11:52:15.151-07:00Neon Tommy- The Broadband Dilemma by Brian Tenenbaum 3.23.10<span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">The Broadband Dilemma<br />
<span class="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/the-broadband-dilemma.html#trackback" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">TrackBacks (0)</a> <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/the-broadband-dilemma.html#comments" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">Comments (1)</a> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="return addthis_sendto()" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;"><img align="absmiddle" alt="Bookmark and Share" border="0" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="83" /></a></span></span><br />
<div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Brian Tenenbaum<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/BroadbandDilemma_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drb62/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Daniel R. Blume</a>)</div><div>If you watched the Superbowl this year, or happen to be a die hard <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTHCCsDx4Eo" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Luke Wilson</a> fan, you may have noticed the corporate flame war that has erupted in advertising between cell phone providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Both companies contend that their respective networks provide superior coverage. However, the issue at hand is the ability of these providers to boost their network capacity to handle the spread of smart phones. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Last year AT&T briefly <a href="http://consumerist.com/2009/12/att-customer-service-new-york-city-is-not-ready-for-the-iphone.html" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">halted sales</a> of the iPhone in New York City due to rolling blackouts in service. Customers using the popular smart phone made up less than ten percent of local subscribers, yet were using a majority of the available network capacity to access the Internet. </div><div><br />
</div><div>AT&T and Verizon are faced with the daunting task of building competitive high speed Internet and telecommunications networks to meet the needs of the growing smart phone market. Many smart phones currently have the ability to tether, which allows other devices, such as laptops, to access the Internet through the phone. AT&T has shut off this feature in its smart phones because its network cannot handle the additional load. Customers may not tolerate restricted functionality for long when premium data plans can cost up to an additional $80 a month. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Verizon is in the midst of an $18 billion network upgrade, but this will only benefit 18 million home subscribers. For its part, AT&T has boosted spending on infrastructure development, but it is not enough to meet future demand. Both companies have scrambled to install newer and more advanced cell phone towers in big cities like New York and San Francisco, but this is only a temporary fix. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The reality is that the cost of upgrading the telecommunications networks that provide Internet, television, and cell phone service in the United States is too costly for any one company to do by itself.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Yet in the recently released <a href="http://www.broadband.gov/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">National Broadband Plan</a>, the Federal Communications Commission recommended to Congress that boosting competition between telecommunications providers will push the market to upgrade. So far the competition between AT&T and Verizon has produced a price war over data plans and cell service, but no progress on upgrading their respective networks for the long term. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Americans are increasingly conducting financial transactions and streaming high definition video using mobile services. Mobile productivity boosts the productivity of subscribers, and with greater network capacity, costs can be reduced drastically. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The Obama administration, Congress and the FCC should consider providing greater incentives and regulations to foster a comprehensive upgrade to the nation's broadband networks. In South Korea, consumers enjoy the fastest cell phone networks and Internet access in the world. Unlike in the United States, the telecommunications providers are state-owned. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The U.S. government may not be ready for a broadband society, but the consumer surely is. </div><div><br />
</div><i>Brian Tenenbaum is a first-year progressive student in the USC Public Diplomacy program. He is actively researching virtual education and exchange in the context of cultural diplomacy. </i><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">This op-ed is part of a partnership between Neon Tommy and the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/the-broadband-dilemma.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/the-broadband-dilemma.html</a></span></div></div>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-36879423555920902482010-03-24T11:51:00.001-07:002010-03-27T12:29:44.315-07:00CPD/APDS Blog- What's Past is Prologue: SFRC on the Future of PD by Alexis Haftvani 3.18.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><img class="thumbnail" src="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/media/APDSlogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 6px; margin-top: 3px; width: 50px;" /></a><a class="header12" href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/whats_past_is_prologue/" style="color: #9a0000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE: A SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE REVIEW OF THE FUTURE OF U.S. PD</a><br />
<span class="tags" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">MAR 18, 2010</span>Posted by <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/about/bio_detail/bloggerguest" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">APDS Bloggers</a><br />
<a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_main/author/APDS_Bloggers/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;"><i>All posts by APDS Bloggers</i></a><br />
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<b>APDS Blogger: <a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/whats_past_is_prologue/#bio" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;">Alexis Haftvani</a></b> <br />
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Last week, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened a hearing entitled “<a href="http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/20100310/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy">The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy</a>”. The stated objective of the hearing was to assess how U.S. public diplomacy initiatives of the past could be used to inform U.S. public diplomacy activities of the future. Three former Under Secretaries for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs appeared before the committee: Evelyn Lieberman, Karen Hughes and James Glassman. They were followed by current Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale—speaking to Congress for the first time since her department’s completion of an 8-month review of its public diplomacy efforts.<br />
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Clearly, this was a hearing many in the public diplomacy community had long been waiting to watch. But after two hours of testimony, it is one that ultimately left a lingering question: is the U.S. government ready today to take the critical steps needed to address the past and current shortfalls of U.S. public diplomacy?<br />
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The answer remains unclear.<br />
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From the former Under Secretaries came a necessary but almost painful recapitulation of so many of the most common critiques of U.S. public diplomacy as well as a long list of challenges faced by the State Department’s public diplomacy professionals. Of the three, Glassman’s remarks appeared to be the most candid—as well as the most pessimistic. He stated emphatically in his opening remarks: “This hearing asks us to address the future of public diplomacy. That future, in my view, is in doubt.” He carried this point further by stating simply that, “the tools of persuasion and inspiration are not being considered indispensable.”<br />
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This point was consistently reinforced throughout the hearing. All three officials, who served across a time period spanning from 1999 to 2009, made the same arguments about the state of U.S. public diplomacy and their recommendations overlapped on almost every major point.<br />
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For example, each of the former Under Secretaries underscored the fact that U.S. public diplomacy needs to include more listening as well as more conversation with foreign audiences. This requires recognition by U.S. policymakers that there will inevitably be less room for control. Each former Under Secretary also reminded Committee members that some of the most powerful tools of U.S. public diplomacy remain exchanges, English language training programs, and other educational and cultural activities. They called, in turn, for greater investment in these types of programs. They also stressed that American public diplomats cannot be walled off from the audiences they are trying to engage and influence. On the contrary, they must have spaces that allow them to be as accessible and open to local communities as possible.<br />
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The most compelling argument found throughout the former Under Secretaries’ statements was, perhaps, this: <a href="http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/11/state-department-plans-7-posts-in-public-diplomacy/" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="public diplomacy must have an advocate at the White House">public diplomacy must have an advocate at the White House</a>. All three former officials made this point clear. Only with such an advocate, they contended, will the tools of public diplomacy be fully incorporated into the policy formulation process. Only with the support of the President will public diplomacy professionals be able to convince others in government that public diplomacy <i>can </i>achieve national security goals.<br />
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Following the remarks of her predecessors, current Under Secretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale had an unenviable task ahead of her. Would her remarks answer that nagging question: can and will the U.S. government address the long-standing shortfalls of U.S. public diplomacy once and for all?<br />
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In some ways, her testimony appeared promising.<br />
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Portions of Under Secretary McHale’s testimony invoked a needed sense of urgency. On formulating a new public diplomacy imperative, she stated: “We must act boldly and decisively to develop a clear, consistent and comprehensive approach.” In closing, she declared, “I believe this is a moment of great opportunity to redefine our relationship with people around the world and to build bridges of knowledge and understanding with people everywhere.”<br />
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She outlined several fresh policy approaches including the creation of new public diplomacy posts at the State Department—a Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Media Support and a Deputy Assistant Security for Public Diplomacy for each regional bureau. McHale also highlighted plans to broaden cultural activities, expand language and teacher training programs and revitalize American Corners.<br />
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On the whole, however, her introduction of the State Department’s “New Global Strategic Framework for Public Diplomacy” seemed vague and may do little to answer the most pressing questions about the future of U.S. public diplomacy. Few details were provided on how a more robust listening and dialogue component will be integrated into public diplomacy programming; how American public diplomats will get out from behind their walls; where new resources and funding will ultimately go; and whether public diplomacy really will be taken seriously at the highest interagency levels.<br />
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In each of these cases, details are of great significance. And in the words of Senator Roger Wicker, present at the hearing that day, “Believing is simple; translating into action is more difficult.” Those of us interested in the details and in the action will have to wait a little longer to see more emerge from the “New Global Strategic Framework for Public Diplomacy.”<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2393434927903477229&postID=3687942355592090248" name="bio"><b>Alexis Haftvani</b></a> is a second year student in the <a href="http://ascweb.usc.edu/Prospective/Masters/PubD.aspx" style="color: #9a0000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Master of Public Diplomacy">Masters of Public Diplomacy program</a> at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining USC, she served four years as a U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer with tours in the Middle East and Asia. Her primary interests lie in U.S. foreign policy, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.</i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><i><a href="http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/whats_past_is_prologue/">http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/whats_past_is_prologue/</a></i></span>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2393434927903477229.post-1218215470747984162010-03-24T11:49:00.000-07:002010-03-24T11:49:05.063-07:00Neon Tommy-Turkey and the Genocide Question by Sona Krikorian 3.15.10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span class="story_title" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 20px;">Turkey And The Genocide Question<br />
<span class="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/turkey-and-the-genocide-questi.html#trackback" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">TrackBacks (0)</a> <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/turkey-and-the-genocide-questi.html#comments" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">Comments (2)</a> </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-large;"><div class="story_byline" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">by Sona Krikorian<br />
<em>Contributor</em></div><div class="story_story" id="more" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><div class="image_right" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><img src="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/GenocideQuestion_f.jpg" /><br />
Creative Commons Licensed (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nuakin/" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">nuakin</a>)</div><div>There are two instances when Armenian-Turkish relations surface in the collective consciousness of Americans: election years (when candidates promise US recognition of the genocide) and whenever a resolution is introduced to the House or Senate.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Over fear of irreparable harm to U.S.-Turkish relations, these resolutions are always blocked either in the Senate or by the President. Recently, the issue came to light as the House Foreign Affairs Committee<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/05/nation/la-na-armenian-genocide5-2010mar05" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">voted</a> in a nonbinding resolution to call the acts perpetrated against Armenians in 1915 a genocide. The vote set off a wave of protests by the Turkish government towards the US and Armenia. Turkey <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7050439.ece" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">recalled</a> its ambassador for "consultation" in Ankara. As per the usual sequence of events, the day after the vote, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that the recognition bill would be, as always, killed in transit. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Meanwhile, Turkey continues to deny that there was in fact a genocide. Armenians, mostly in the diaspora, continue to provide evidence and arguments to justify the Armenian, and largely international, claim that a genocide took place. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The subject at hand is not whether or not there was indeed genocide, as my grandparents were survivors. I have heard first-person accounts of the atrocities my grandparents witnessed. I have conducted academic research regarding diplomatic dispatches and Turkish documentation of the events as race extermination. </div><div><br />
</div><div>One could argue that the more interesting topic is genocide denial as the national policy of Turkey. The greatest problem for Armenian-Turkish relations is not the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but rather the lack of discourse and the institutionalized nationalism in Turkey. If a state-sponsored assassin, such as 17-year-old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Og%C3%BCn_Samast" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Ogun Samast</a>, can murder Armenian-Turkish journalist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrant_Dink" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Hrant Dink</a> because he called for open discourse, or a Nobel Laureate, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orhan_Pamuk" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Orhan Pamuk</a>, can be prosecuted and jailed by the Turkish judicial system for being critical of the state, where does that leave Turkey in its ambitions toward EU membership?</div><div><br />
</div><div>The recognition of the Armenian Genocide pales in comparison to the depths of Turkey's national and international problems. Turkey's denial and protests are only to its detriment: recognition of the Armenian Genocide is precisely what would lend Turkey not only legitimacy in the international realm, but also open the doors to open discourse in the state, and perhaps even steps toward a real democracy. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The creator of modern Turkish identity is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_Ataturk" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Mustafa Kemal Ataturk</a>. He came into power after Turkey's defeat in WWI, and is still praised as the man who "westernized" Turkey. It is no secret that modern Turkish governments are well aware of the events of 1915, and in hushed circles, admit to the wrongdoing as constituting genocide. In fact, the incoming government was so appalled by the actions of the Young Turks that one of Ataturk's first courses of action was to order the leaders of the Young Turk movement (Enver, Talaat & Jemal Pashas) to stand trial for their crimes. Until ten years ago, official archives in Turkey held records of not only the accusations of genocide made by Ataturk and his supporters, but also evidence collected by his government for use in the prosecution of the Young Turks, which showed the names of the victims, the total number of deaths per village and the official documents ordering the total annihilation of a population as a racial extermination campaign.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Turkish citizens today are taught only the virtues of Turkish history. Any citizens or visitors uttering statements that might be negative about the Turkish government, or mentioning genocide are swiftly prosecuted under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_301_(Turkish_Penal_Code)" style="color: #005aff; text-decoration: underline;">Turkish Penal Code 301</a>, which prosecutes anything deemed insulting to Turkish identity. There is little space for public discourse, which would allow for discussion of the Armenian Genocide, and other political disputes (such as the Kurdish question) that mire the Turkish government's accession to the EU.</div><div></div><div>Although Turkey harbors ambitions of EU membership and leadership in the Muslim world, these roles cannot be claimed simply. They must be earned. Unfortunately, Turkey's track record of press freedom, freedom of expression, judicial practices and the protection of dissent leave much to be desired.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But there is a clear path to Turkish reform. The first step is owning up to its own past.</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/turkey-and-the-genocide-questi.html">http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/turkey-and-the-genocide-questi.html</a></div></div></span>Paul Rockowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540196192076208577noreply@blogger.com0