John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review

Trump’s Venezuela policy: Cubans to the Left, Cubans to the Right

John Feeley, univision.com; John Feeley was US Ambassador to Panama and is a Univision political analyst. Image from article: President Trump signing a new Cuba policy order in Miami, June 16, 2017. Left to right: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Senator Marco Rubio, Vice President Mike Pence. Cubans are playing a key role in the Venezuelan crisis, on both sides. Excerpt: President Trump is bringing the Venezuela road show to Miami on Monday in an attempt to keep the pressure on Nicolas Maduro. He will no doubt repeat his State of the Union dig at Democrats, when he raised the specter of socialism in that long-suffering country and linked it to his domestic political opposition. "Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country," the president said in his speech to Congress. "Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country," he added. The truth is, Maduro ..

Cultural Diplomacy conference to be held in Abu Dhabi on February 27

Afkar Abdullah, khaleejtimes.com February 18 Image from article, with caption: Dr Kamel Al Mu'aini, president of the International Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (IIDC)-Photo by M. Sajjad/ Khaleej Times The conference will focus on how the media affect the cultures of the people. The International Institute for Cultural Diplomacy announced on February 18 that it will launch its first cultural diplomacy conference on "The Impact of Media on Diplomacy, Security and State Reputation" in AbuDhabi on February 27. The conference will see the participation of 21 experts in various fields of politics, economy, culture and media, in addition to university professors, ambassadors, public and security experts from 10 Arab and foreign countries around the world to discuss media issues and its role in the current time. Dr Kamel Al Mu'aini, president of the International Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (IIDC), said that the conference is a platform for discussing the media issues and..

China tells world to ignore Mike Pence ‘lectures’

Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, February 16, 2019 Yang Jiechi image from Wikipedia MUNICH — European leaders should disregard "lectures" from Vice President Mike Pence and other U.S. officials about Chinese encroachment into Europe, a top diplomat from the communist nation said Saturday. Pence — amplifying warnings by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — told the Munich Security Conference that Huawei, a Chinese multinational telecom company, posed a threat to regional security. “Chinese law requires them to provide Beijing’s vast security apparatus with access to any data that touches their networks or equipment,” Pence said in his prepared text. “We must protect our critical telecom infrastructure, and the United States is calling on all our security partners to be vigilant and to reject any enterprise that would compromise the integrity of our communications technology or national security systems.” That prompted a rebuke, during a question-and-answer session, from Yang Jiechi, a top ..

Heather Nauert Withdraws From Consideration For U.N. Ambassador

Emma Bowman, NPR, February 16; on Nauert, see below Image from entry, with caption: Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert withdrew herself from consideration for the nomination of U.S. ambassador to the U.N. on Saturday.State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert withdrew herself from consideration on Saturday for the nomination of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations."I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo for the trust they placed in me for considering me for the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations," she said, according to a statement released by the State Department. "However, the past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration."President Trump picked the former Fox & Friends host to become the next ambassador to the U.N. in December. Had she been confirmed, Nauert would have replaced Nikki Haley, who resigned as ambassador in Oct..

Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program: Supporting Projects in Malawi

www2.fundsforngos.org image (not from entry) from, with caption: U.S. Embassy Lilongwe Deadline OngoingThe Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Small Grants Program.PAS awards a limited number of grants to individuals, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions to support exchange between the U.S. and Malawi with the aim of improving mutual respect and understanding between the people of the two countries.Priority ProjectsThe Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program supports projects with the following themes and initiatives:American culture/societyEntrepreneurship and innovationWomen/girls empowermentYouth leadership developmentHuman rights and civil society developmentDemocracy, transparency in governance, and rule of lawScience and technologyEducational initiativesFunding InformationPAS will consider proposals up to $..

Blast from the Past: Obituary of the diplomat/scholar who introduced “Public Diplomacy” into the...

"Edmund Asbury Gullion, 85, Wide-Ranging Career Envoy" image from Wolfgang Saxon, The New York Times, March 31, 1998 Edmund Asbury Gullion, one of the country's most accomplished career ambassadors and former dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he trained the next generation of Foreign Officers, died in his sleep the night of March 17 at his home in Winchester, Mass. He was 85. The cause was apparently a heart attack, the Fletcher School reported. Mr. Gullion earned his spurs in war-torn Europe and ended his diplomatic career in 1964 as United States Ambassador to the recently independent Congo, a flashpoint of the cold war. As an old hand on Indochina he was also deeply involved in the conflict that tore at Southeast Asia, whose reverberations followed him even after he settled into academe in Medford, Mass. He was dean of the Fletcher School from 1964 until 1978. The Murrow Center, named after Edward R. Murrow, was intended to establish di..

An international approach to the cultural Cold War: public diplomacy towards Africa

image (not from entry) fromZeitenblicke Volume 12, 2013-09, ISSN: 1619-0459 Publisher: Digital Peer Publishing NRW An international approach to the cultural Cold War: public diplomacy towards Africa Author: Gerits, Frank Abstract: This article analyzes how the tactics behind French public diplomacy [JB emphasis] in West-Africa and Congo-Leopoldville/Kinshasa evolved between 1945 and 1965. To overcome the low appeal that French propaganda had for Africans, the French gradually integrated the successful methods that their competitors in Africa employed into their own strategy. It shows that the battle for African hearts and minds was global, that Ghana and Egypt were active, and that intercultural, propaganda agencies adopted and adapted each other's successful strategies. In doing so, it hopes to emphasize the explanatory potential of a genuine international approach to diplomatic history. The norms of diplomatic culture are an emerging field of study in International Relations amo..

Using American Soft Power to Support Women and Girls

iop.harvard.edu Guest: Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State of Cultural, Educational Affairs in the Obama Administration and now Executive Vice President at Axios. Wise diplomats know that American power includes the ability to persuade others to follow our lead. The United States conveys and highlights our culture and values through a wide range of public diplomacy [JB emphasis] and exchange programs administered by the Department of State. In 2017, OMB Director Mulvaney announced a “hard power budget” which proposed dramatic cuts in State Department and USAID budgets. What is the value of soft power in promoting and supporting women’s rights? What programs have been most effective in conveying the important values of equality and opportunity? Date and time: Thursday, February 21, 2019 - 4:30pm to 5:45pm Location: Littauer L-166 (IOP Conference Room)

Fighting Misinformation: How to Build Trust in a World of Liars

cmds.ceu.edu image from entryType: Panel Discussion Audience: Open to the Public Organizer: Center for Media, Data and Society Building: Nador u. 15 Room: 101 (Quantum Room) Academic Area: European MediaHungarian MediaJournalismMedia, Communication and Information Policy Monday, February 25, 2019 - 5:30pm Add to Calendar Date: Monday, February 25, 2019 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm Who produces misinformation, how and why? How do people perceive misinformation in Brazil, the US, Nigeria, India or Hungary? Is social media part of the problem or the solution? What is the role of regulators, civil society, journalists and corporations in fighting misinformation? Experts and journalists discuss various aspects of the “misinformation” phenomenon: recent trends, forms of misinformation in different contexts and potential remedies. Participants: Daniel Funke, Poynter InstituteAnita Komuves, Atlatszo.huOren Levine, International Center for JournalistsKrisztina Nagy, Budapest University of Technology an..

Upgrading U.S. Support for Armenia’s Postrevolution Reforms

Ray Salvatore Jennings, carnegieendowment.org, February 14; original article contains links image fromExcerpt: [T]he United States should increase its current military engagement with Armenian counterparts on disaster preparedness, improved interoperability with NATO forces, and defense reforms. Such moves will deepen ties with the West over time. Renewed public diplomacy [JB emphasis] initiatives advancing English language training, U.S. values, and U.S. culture will both strengthen economic and cultural ties and help Armenians resist disinformation. Nuanced approaches like these, and the economic measures suggested below, will help Washington avoid openly provoking Moscow while enabling Yerevan to substantiate its multipolar orientation. ... CONCLUSIONS The global struggle for democracy is as difficult as it has been in decades. Democratic breakthroughs, however rare in recent years, are a reminder that well-organized and inspired citizens can reclaim control of their government and ..