John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review

www2.fundsforngos.org image (not from entry) from Deadline: 15 July 2019The U.S. Embassy Abuja Public Affairs Section (PAS) has announced this Notice of Funding Opportunity for its Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] small grants program.PAS awards a limited number of grants to individuals, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and other civil society entities that further the Embassy’s policy goals and strengthen relations between the American and Nigerian peoples.PrioritiesPAS will prioritize grant program proposals that:Promote Nigeria’s democratic governance, unity and stability by improving government transparency and accountability, the rule of law, civil society capacity and engagement;Strengthen human capital to promote inclusive economic growth and development via entrepreneurial initiatives, STEM education, women’s empowerment, and cultural exchange;Protect against security threats and foster peace and stability through measures to counter violent extremism, mit..

gpo.gov; for more details, see Download FilesFormatsText (2 KB) | PDF (83 KB)Descriptive MetadataMODSAuthenticity MetadataPREMISAll Format & Metadata FilesZIP fileMetadataPublication TitleFederal Register Volume 83, Issue 221 (November 15, 2018)CategoryRegulatory InformationCollectionFederal RegisterSuDoc Class NumberAE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records AdministrationSectionNoticesAgency NameDEPARTMENT OF STATEPage Number Range57525-57526Federal Register Citation83 FR 57525 Docket NumbersPublic Notice: 10611FR Doc Number2018-24958Document in ContextThis is part of Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 221 (November 15, 2018)View Entire Issue

Xin Liu, uscpublicdiplomacy.org, Nov 15, 2018 uncaptioned image from article Since China became openly engaged in projecting soft power, its endeavors have constantly faced challenges. When China’s investment in soft power exceeds the combined government spending of the U.S., UK, France, Germany and Japan, public diplomacy [JB emphasis] starts to blur into the area of dollar diplomacy, and inducement combined with intimidation were often considered to be the “hard edge” of China’s soft power. To some, the edge has become so sharp that it is deemed to have changed the nature of soft power, as argued by Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig when they coined the new phrase “sharp power” in 2017 to refer to “authoritarian soft power” because it “pierces, penetrates, or perforates the political and information environments in the targeted countries” through the use of “outward-facing censorship, manipulation and distraction.” They used China and Russia as typical examples and stated that “..

Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, Nov 16, 2018 | 4:00 AM See also (1) Walter Isaacson, "A Declaration of Mutual Dependence," The New York Times (2004), which states: "Thus the Declaration of Independence is, in effect, a work of propaganda -- or, to put it more politely, an exercise in public diplomacy [JB emphasis] intended to enlist other countries to the cause." (2) John Brown, "Propaganda and Public Diplomacy : Their Differences," American Diplomacy (2003) President Donald Trump speaks during a conference supporting veterans and military families through partnership at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press) The “P” word. But here we are, two years in, tiptoeing around The Word That Cannot Be Said. Let’s just call it what it is: Propaganda. The state-sponsored spread of deliberate misinformation is not a “half-truth,” “distortion of reality” or “the president’s loose relationship with the facts,” as..

Joseph Gonzalez, journalnow.com image (not from article) fromExcerpt: U.S. presidents have needed the House of Saud to restrain first Iraq and then Iran, pump oil into world markets and create a more moderate climate for the State of Israel. [R]est assured: President Trump’s conduct of foreign policy is novel ... First, he has publicly accepted even the most egregious Saudi lies more or less as fact. This sort of “public diplomacy” [JB emphasis] tends to make President Trump look either naïve or cynical — or both. ... [W]hen it comes to Saudi Arabia, President Trump is following a precept handed down by his Oval Office predecessors: don’t criticize your allies. It’s not often that we see such devotion to tradition on the part of our 45th president. Joseph J. Gonzalez is associate professor of Global Studies at Appalachian State University. He is a specialist on U.S.-Cuban relations.

everythingexperiential.businessworld.in uncaptioned image from article The launch of the book was done by Honorable Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu amidst the presence of dignitaries like Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Shri Manoj Tewari, ambassadors and diplomats. Mansi Gulati, the yoga exponent and author launched her new book ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’ in association with Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Forum recently. The launch of the book was done by Honorable Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu amidst the presence of dignitaries like Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Shri Manoj Tewari, ambassadors and diplomats. Mansi Gulati addressed the audience and spoke about the benefits of yoga. She said her book ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’ was the simplest study on the subject which is based on the fact that yoga is not mere asanas but everything done with mindfulness and dedication.

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com Nov 16,2018이미지뷰Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars holds a book on Latvian participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics at the embassy in central Seoul on Nov. 9. The country publishes a book that records Latvian participation at each Olympic Games. [PARK SANG-MOON]As he celebrates 100 years since the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars emphasized the role that public diplomacy [JB emphasis] can play to bring the Baltic country closer to Korea. “Without successful public diplomacy, it is impossible to build any trade or business relations,” he told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “Especially for countries with limited human resources, we need to focus on how to build friendly and mutually beneficial relations. To do that, we have to first bring together the people. When more Latvians know Koreans and Koreans know Latvians, it brings out positive emotions and that transfers onto trade, business and other re..

Global Times,globaltimes.cn Image from article, with caption: Illustration: Liu Rui/GT US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC)'s 2018 annual report to Congress is more radical than it was in previous years. The bipartisan commission recommended that the US government establish a fund to counter Chinese infrastructure financing deals in the developing world that export China's "model of authoritarian governance". USCC, created through a congressional mandate in October 2000, is responsible for monitoring and investigating national security and trade issues between China and the US. The commission has been releasing reports on China almost every year since 2002. But maligning China has become USCC's way of going about its business. As Sino-US relations have worsened this year, many US think tanks raised their chorus to accuse China. Not to fall behind, USCC waved the anti-China flag even higher. In USCC's 2018 report, China's infrastructure finan..

Sheera Frenkel, Nicholas Confessore, Cecilia Kang, Matthew Rosenberg and Jack Nicas, The New York Times, Nov. 14, 2018; original article contains additional photographs and links See also John Brown, "Don't we all love Facebook? (updated, 10/14, 2018), Notes and Essays [Re a Facebook message that informed yours truly, a former Senior US Foreign Service diplomat focusing on public diplomacy, that "Someone reported you for impersonation," image (not from below article) from thereby, evidently, my being kicked off Facebook, which actually turned out to be a mental liberation in disguise! (I did provide the required proofs of my identity to Facebook, but never got a reply from "them" (i.e., the Algorithm?). Image from article, with caption: Facebook has gone on the attack as one scandal after another — Russian meddling, data sharing, hate speech — has led to a congressional and consumer backlash Sheryl Sandberg was seething. Inside Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, top exe..

Michael Hirsh, Foreign Policy, posted on businessinsider.com; see also (1) (2) "She's smart, put together, and sophisticated. But she's not someone who's going to go toe-to-toe on policy with John Bolton." Alex Brandon/Associated PressLongtime UN observers say Heather Nauert would also be the least qualified person ever to hold the job of US Ambassador to the UN. Critics say Nauert, who is currently the State Department's spokesperson, is almost without policy experience.Before becoming State Department spokesperson in 2017, Nauert worked as a correspondent for ABC and Fox News. She went on to become a news presenter and co-anchor.No one who has worked with Heather Nauert doubts that she's a pretty good briefer, or that the former Fox & Friends host is a winning personality on camera. But longtime UN observers say Nauert, who is said to be US President Donald Trump's leading candidate to replace outgoing United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, would also b..