John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review

thenational.ae; original article contains additional photographs The country is harnessing culture and technology to boost its global footprint Image from article: Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Tourism and Culture Authority, Mohamad Khalifa al-Mubarak, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and French President Emmanuel Macron laugh as they visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum. AFP December 26, 2018 As a momentous year draws to a close, The National is running a series of articles examining the impact of the growing diplomatic strength of the UAE. Over the next few days, we will examine the country’s growing international influence, be it through the soft power of culture and connectivity, or strengthening ties within the GCC and further around the globe. This nation has never had a more prominent position in the world – and this series will explain how it was achieved, why it matters and what lies ahead. The strategic relationship between the UAE and France was strengthened s..

Christian Whiton, Fox News Whiton image from Christian Whiton was a senior advisor in the Donald Trump and George W. Bush administrations. He is a senior fellow for strategy and public diplomacy [JB emphasis] at the Center for the National Interest and the author of “Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War.” President Trump announces Defense Secretary James Mattis' resignation date is now Jan.1 President Trump’s decision to replace Defense Secretary James Mattis on Jan. 1 – rather than allowing him to stay on the job until Feb. 28, as the retired Marine general requested when he resigned Thursday – was the right move. Mattis no doubt thought a two-month transition would be helpful to his successor and minimize any disruption caused by his departure. But no president would want an avowed opponent of his foreign and national security policies to continue running the Pentagon for that long. As Mattis correctly stated in his resignation letter to the president: “Because you have the ri..

cstonline.net image from XXVII IAMHIST Conference POWER AND THE MEDIA (Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, 16-19 July 2019)Confirmed keynote speakers include:James Curran (Goldsmiths, University of London)Jennifer Smyth (University of Warwick)Papers and panels are invited for the 2019 conference of the International Association for Media and History. The conference theme this year is POWER AND THE MEDIA. Scholars of media history have not just been concerned with analysis of the individuals, institutions and elites exerting control, but also with how the media has represented, perpetuated or challenged power structures. Taking place in the immediate aftermath of Britain’s planned exit from the European Union, the conference invites scholars and practitioners from all relevant disciplines to take part in a timely conversation about the relationship between power and the media, from the film and broadcasting industries and the press, to new media, social media and advertising. I..

Paul Rockower, levantine18.blogspot.com About Me Paul RockowerOne of a dying breed of Bohemian, Orientalist Zionists. Also a cunning linguist, phrase-turner, gastronomist and a Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Knight Errant. Of late, a PD Guru, Comm Swami, Idea Peddler and Sultan of Spin.View my complete profile -Why the best biscuits come from the South and why they aren't easily replicated. -The problem with cashless restaurants and how they discriminate. -A top chef is using his perch to help highlight foods from Mama Africa's kitchen. -A look at Native American Cuisine. -Culinary diplomacy and what presidents eat. -The gastrodiplomacy fall-off of the current admin -The proper fare for certain occupants of said office.Posted by Paul Rockower at 12:53 PM

Dana Milbank, The Washington Post, December 25; original article contains links Nauert image from Excerpt: Calls to the White House switchboard during this Christmas holiday are greeted by the following message:“We apologize, but due to the lapse in federal funding we are unable to take your call. Once funding has been restored, our operations will resume. Please call back at that time.” Click.Is there a better distillation of the Trump administration after year two? You have reached the White House. We are not functioning. Please try again later. ...Trump’s booby traps ensnare the nation: ...Not a creature is stirring in ... the Trump administration, either. ...Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations resigned, and his pick for the job is a former Fox News personality with little foreign-policy experience [JB: Heather Nauert, former Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; her post remains vacant]. ...

serbianinstitute.org Rue De Tolouse 23 | BE-1040 Brussels Tel.: +32 (0)2 230 74 38 | Fax: +32 (0)2 230 74 38 office(*)serbianinstitute(.)org Excerpt: Aleksandar Vucic has told Voice of America (VOA) that he was pleased with the results of Monday's UN Security Council session. The session was called to discuss Pristina's decision to start forming an army in Kosovo - a move Serbia strongly opposes. ...At: https://www.b92.net

publicdiplomacypressandblogreview.blogspot.com (12/24/18) PD Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend me Your Ears: You may have noticed that the Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review (PDPR) "top" three items sent to you via email almost daily in the late afternoon US Eastern Time (please note: transmitted in news-as-it becomes available, not necessarily in headlines-important order) are often in the wrong format, e.g., "I can't [expletive omitted] find an entire sentence on my computer screen.") To avoid this irritation, please click, at the bottom of the PDPBR email message, "View entire message": [Message clipped] View entire message That might spare you of irritation (for now) -- I hope. Best, john P.S. For full, well-formatted (most of the time, I hope) current and archival reports on PD items, please refer to the Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review Blog homepage. Posted by John Brown at 3:54 PM *** (12/25/2018) Meanwhile, far more important: Merry Christmas to you & yours!

William Inboden, thehill.com image (not from article) fromExcerpt: As the new Congress prepares to convene in January, it will face few tasks, if any, more important than adequately funding our nation’s defense. While our armed forces’ most fundamental mission lies in defending our nation and deterring our adversaries, a strong defense budget brings many other strategic benefits. Five years ago, when testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, then-CENTCOM Commander Gen. James Mattis made a memorable plea for the State Department’s budget: “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately.” In this oft-quoted statement, Mattis offered an arresting argument for the importance of the State Department and diplomacy in preventing armed conflict and security threats to the United States. Yet the opposite also is true: to strengthen the State Department, along with U.S. diplomatic and economic influence, we need a large defense budget. A..

geeskaafrika.com image (not from entry) from, with caption:ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - MARCH 9, 2018: Russia's Ambassador to Ethiopia Vsevolod Tkachenko, Minata Samate-Cessouma, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Moussa Fakih Mohamed, Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, and Smail Chergui (L-R), African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, pose at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. Alexander Shcherbak/TASS - Excerpt: Addis Ababa (HAN) December 25, 2018 – Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] & Financial and Energy investment. HAN sources “Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Vsevolod Tkachenko told regional news agencies that, Russian companies crave to invest in Ethiopia and eyeing the energy sector as a priority, specially Somali regions.” Russia is engaged in a frantic new scramble for influenc..

onlineindus.com Ucaptioned image from entry image from PESHAWAR: 8, DECEMBER/ 2018: Foreign officer along with her husband died due to gas leakage in a hotel of Hunza, here on Saturday. According to details, Syeda Fatima was commissioned in Foreign office in Public diplomacy [JB emphasis] session. According to sources, Syeda Fatima went to Hunza with her husband, a day before, where she died in a blast due to gas leakage.