Tag Archives: current-events

Lou Reed and the Power of Art

Posted on October 27, 2013 by

Lou Reed died today at 71. The standard obituaries have noted his profound influence on popular music since the 1960s and 1970s. Dig a little deeper and you might find, as The New Republic did, that he affected political leaders like Vaclav … Continue reading →

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Now Available: The United States and the Challenge of Public Diplomacy

Posted on October 24, 2013 by

Today my latest book, The United States and the Challenge of Public Diplomacy, is available from Palgrave Macmillan.  It can be ordered from Amazon.com, the publisher, or from any book store in your neighborhood. The Challenge of Public Diplomacy is based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Books, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Public Diplomacy, The Former Yugoslavia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twitter in a Teapot?

Posted on August 7, 2013 by

An article last month in Foreign Policy brought to light a “full-blown Twitter war” between the State Department’s Digital Outreach Team (DOT) and a “prominent” jihadi named Mu’awiya al-Qahtani using the feed service under the handle @Al_Bttaar. Written by Will McCants, who … Continue reading →

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Along the 30th Parallel: What NPR Gets Wrong about Public Opinion and Foreign Aid

Posted on July 23, 2013 by

A recent blog post by Greg Myre on NPR’s web site (“Which Nations Hate the U.S.? Often Those Receiving the Most Aid,” July 23) is a typical example of reporting on international public opinion. Myre attempts to correlate a Pew Research Center report on foreign … Continue reading →

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Smith-Mundt Retool is Great News for Voice of America

Posted on July 15, 2013 by

The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act recently went into effect, which has public diplomacy wonks and civil liberties experts worried about the loosening of the 1948 law that both established the Voice of America (VOA) and limited its ability to “propagandize” American citizens. (They may … Continue reading →

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NATO Wins, Again

Posted on June 18, 2013 by

Today NATO handed off operational security responsibility for all of Afghanistan to the Afghan government, a dramatic turning point in the war that began in the days following September 11, 2001. But as a former member of the NATO International … Continue reading →

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Clearing the Air in Turkey (latest update July 14)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by

For anyone caught unawares by the political protests now roiling Turkey, you’re not alone. But for those looking for simple analogies between the demonstrations sparked by plans to bulldoze an Istanbul park and the regime-splitting Arab uprisings, you’re probably seeking a … Continue reading →

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