John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review

Guy W. Farmer, Nevada Appeal; see also (1) Farmer image from article The Senate Intelligence Committee recently released two independent reports on Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the United States. The reports accuse the Russian government of conducting a disinformation campaign designed "to help elect President Trump, and worked even harder to support him while in office." "The Russians aimed particular energy at activating conservatives on issues such as gun rights and immigration, while sapping the political clout of left-leaning minority voters by undermining their faith in elections …" both reports concluded. And what are we doing to counter Russia's ongoing disinformation campaign? Not much! During the Cold War I spent 28 years with the now defunct U.S. Information Agency (USIA), which told America's story to the world (the agency's motto) and aggressively countered Soviet disinformation and misinformation. But after USIA was merged..

December 23, 2018 Timothy Dodman*, Robert Gosende*: A Note for Secretary of State Pompeo image from Secretary Pompeo should note from the December issue of The Foreign Service Journal [JB -- see] that the largest employee group within the cabinet Department for which he is responsible is our more than 55,000-strong corps of Foreign Service National Employees. If he reads that December issue of the FSJ he will also learn that this key group of State employees provides the continuity and collective memory of our missions abroad and in many ways the backbone of our foreign policy mechanism around the world. What is not specifically stated in the December issue is the fact that when the annual budget for the Department of State is not approved on time by the Congress and the President, this entire Foreign Service National Employee (FSN) Corps is automatically placed on leave without pay. Many of these essential employees occupy low-paying positions. None of these key employees earn high-pa..

boe.chc.edu.tw image (not from entry) from [From pdf: JB - full text cannot for evidently technical reasons be copied/transmitted; pls refer to the original document via the Internet for full text] The American Institute in Taiwan Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Section is pleased to invite candidates to apply for one of the Summer. 2019 Study of the U.S. Institute programs below ...

Karen J. Greenberg, lobelog.como Image from article: USCGC Bertholf, a National Security Cutter (Wikimedia Commons) I grew up in New London, Connecticut, watching many a military ship float by my window. New London was home to the Coast Guard Academy and sat across the river from a U.S. Navy submarine base. Uniformed guardsmen, sailors in training, and sub crews leaving port would regularly wave to my friends and me from the decks of their ships. It never occurred to me that, 50 years later, such ships would come to my attention again, this time because of the confusing messages they’re sending overseas, a reflection of the conflicting images embedded in Washington’s latest version of diplomacy and foreign policy. We still want populations around the world to admire, appreciate, and respect this country as a democracy and a powerful protector. Some ships are used to make exactly that point. And yet, in the twenty-first-century version of war American-style, other ships have become the..

By Anton Troianovski and Ellen Nakashima, The Washington Post, December 28 at 8:00 AM; original article contains additional illustrations and a video; some of the below photos are missing elements in the original photos in the article; please consult the original article; see also (1) Nina Loguntsova, 17, at her Moscow school this month. (Mary Gelman/For The Washington Post) December 28 at 8:00 AM arrives at school early to stand at soldier-style attention, and she leaves late after extra classes that have included cryptography. Three different military uniforms hang in her closet.The 17-year-old student is part of an expanding military-education program at Moscow’s public schools that aims to inculcate respect for security services and boost the math and computer knowledge of potential recruits. New details uncovered by The Washington Post also show that a GRU unit has been at the forefront of Russia’s psychological-warfare efforts, including an attempt to influence Ukraine policy in..

youtube.com Shorenstein CenterPublished on Dec 11, 2018 Mr. Stevens is Director of the Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Division at the Foreign Service Institute. He spoke about “Adversarial Narratives” and their use by states, non-state actors, and domestic political parties. He also discussed his work training U.S. diplomats to represent the United States in challenging times, American influence around the world, and how public diplomacy intersects with disinformation, social media, and Hybrid/Gray Zone warfare. December 10, 2018Hosted by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation at Adams House, Harvard College Part of the Misinformation Speaker Series put on by Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, and Northeastern University

fundsforngos.org Image (not from entry), with caption from: U.S. Embassy Windhoek Welcomes New Ambassador Deadline: 1 March 2019 The U.S. Embassy Windhoek Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State has announced that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Small Grants Program.ThemesJUDICIARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENTPrograms that will work hand in hand with the Government of Namibia to improve their abilities to effectively plan and implement policies for wildlife conservation.SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIPPrograms that promote policies that incentivize the private sector to take more risk, and support small businesses and entrepreneurship.ECONOMIC GROWTHPrograms related to innovation and women’s empowerment.SOCIAL ISSUESPrograms that seek to promote a better understanding of human rights and diversity and inclusion.ENGLISH TEACHINGPrograms that promote teacher training in areas related to English teaching, or those that enhance English learning among Nam..

Isabelle Niu in Lancaster, qz.com, December 27, 2018; original article contains a video, "Foodie culture is now part of foreign policy." image (not from article) from Thailand is not a superpower. But when it comes to food, it’s one of the most influential countries in the world. Thai food is not just popular, it’s mainstream. It’s the late-night food at British pubs and the go-to dine out choice of Peter Parker. But Thai food didn’t magically become popular. Since 2002, the government has been promoting its food overseas through a multifaceted campaign. The strategy has been so successful that it inspired a new trend in foreign policy: gastrodiplomacy. Countries including South Korea, Lebanon, Peru, Malaysia and Vietnam have launched their own gastrodiplomacy campaigns, using food to extend cultural influence, boost tourism, and promote agricultural exports. And food isn’t just a diplomatic tool for governments. There’s a new kind of gastrodiplomacy on the rise, one that’s led by peop..

Akiva Eldar, al-monitor.com; original article contains links Image from article: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Dec. 23, 2018.Excerpt: “Israel’s foreign relations are flourishing and have hit an unprecedented … all-time record,” boasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a Dec. 17 meeting of his Likud party’s Knesset members. “We have tremendous accomplishments [from] around the world, including the Arab world, which we never had before,” bragged Foreign Minister Netanyahu. “We are protecting Israel as an island of calm,” continued Defense Minister Netanyahu in the same vein. Netanyahu's remarks were prominently reported the following day by Israel Hayom, the newspaper owned by the family of American casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and distributed free on every street corner in Israel. ... Netanyahu complained about “several journalists” who “criticized and slandered” the Dec. 10 visit by “my wife, Sara” to Guatemala, a vi..

Given our dear daughter Michelle's long silence in communicating with her father, I first thought: "It must be a complicated situation" in her current stage of her 38-year old life. Let it ride ... Background: Many months ago I responded by email (with, frankly, now with feelings of guilt) re her "failure to communicate," with my two acidic e-mails comments about her potential inheritance. Keeping in touch was an essential element in my side of the Brown family -- especially with my poet Father -- a standard to which I strongly adhere (but not always, regrettably, observe), even during passing "family squabbles." Seeking advice and (quite frankly, understanding/support) re darling daughter Michelle, I recently decided to share my concerns with dear friends our 38 year-old divorced childless daughter's "canceled" relationship with her father, at a time coinciding (?) with when she evidently ended her affiliation with the University of Denver (UD) in seeking an MA in Anthropolo..