Darren Krape

Today I attended the presentation “Public Diplomacy 2.0” by the State Department’s Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy James Glassman at the New America Foundation. The presentation and discussion was on using web 2.0 technologies for public diplomacy, with a focus on specific examples, both within the State Department and in the wider world. Audio (MP3) and video of the event are both available.

Glassman focused a good deal on the “war of ideas”, basically idea that the U.S. needs to use public diplomacy (and strategic communications) more to encourage people to choose alternatives to violence instead of trying to make the U.S. more popular. Much as been written on this, so I will keep my notes in this area limited. Nonetheless, it is important to understand that much of the following was presented through this lens.

As I saw it, Glassman had two main points:

1. Not the technology: Public diplomacy 2.0 is not, and should not be, about the technology. Instead, public diplomacy 2.0 is a (somewhat) new process for communication and, more importantly, engagement. Indeed, Glassman noted that the State Department has long been doing web 2.0 style public diplomacy, just without (or with different) technology. He pointed to cultural exchanges and encouraging foreigners to study in the U.S. as exemplifying “web 2.0” type two-way engagement the U.S. government has long been involved with.

   One of the primary examples Glassman gave of this point was the Columbian movement against FARC which, by utilizing the social networking site Facebook, put millions of people on streets around the world to protest against the rebel group. While he noted that Facebook was important to facilitate the marches, there had to be a preexisting enabling environment.

2. Web 2.0 gives the U.S. a significant competitive advantage: This new conversational medium gives the United States a significant competitive advantage over our opponents, most specifically Al Qaeda. Glassman’s argument is that the U.S.’s fundamental message (democracy, personal freedom, etc) is more compatible with the web 2.0 world than Al Qaeda’s (war of cultures, global jihad, etc). Ultimately, Glassman argues that, to be successful, Al Qaeda needs to control the message, which is not possible in the web 2.0 marketplace of ideas. To quote directly: “There is a reason Al Qaeda blows up marketplaces”.

   To support this point, Glassman highlighted Al Qaeda’s difficulty with engaging on social networks and video sharing sites since that opens them up to direct criticism which then dilutes their message. In contrast, Glassman mentioned the Democracy Video Challenge, which encourages the public to submit a video on how they view democracy. Importantly, the winning video may not share the Department of State or U.S. government’s perspective on democracy.

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I typically don’t post much on my work, but expect that to change as I get more involved in public diplomacy and social media.

Today I attended the launch for Brookings Institution’s report Voices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century (full report, PDF). I’ve yet to read the report and others are probably better suited to critique it than me, so I will give a brief overview of the proposal and then focus on summarizing the panel discussion.

Report Proposals

As most of the recent reports have argued, the United States government needs a coordinated public diplomacy plan that includes all agencies who are participating in this type of engagement. This is clear for a variety of reasons and pretty much universally accepted.

What’s unique about the Brookings report is the proposal to create a new independent, non-profit, organization, similar to RAND or the British Council, which would work in service of U.S. public diplomacy efforts. Importantly, existing responsibility for public diplomacy in the U.S. government would remain unchanged. This is a key distinction, since other reports (such as this one from Heritage) have suggested consolidating all public diplomacy and strategic communication activities in a new agency (such as a reconstituted USIA).

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Coming out of turn 6, the Corvette C6R of GM Racing is overtaken by the LMP2 Acura ARX-01b of De Farran Motorsports. The Corvette would later run into mechanical trouble and finish several laps behind their #3 Corvette teammates.

This past weekend, I attended the 11th annual Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. This was the penultimate race of the American Le Mans (ALMS) season and the season’s second endurance race, clocking in at 10 hours (or 1,000 miles). While I am a Formula One fan at heart, ALMS is great for the looser atmosphere and greater public access to pit lanes, garages drivers and crew, and, of course, the cars. This was the first auto race I’ve been to, and I was not disappointed.

With perfect weather, a strong field of competitors (including the evenly matched challengers of Audi and Peugeot for LMP1 victory), and a qualifying session which smashed the record books, the race to the finish of the 11th Petit Le Mans was sure to be exciting. And exciting it was. Not only was it the longest Petit Le Mans in history, it also saw one of the closest margins of victory.

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Following up on my earlier post on the death of the foreign desk is this fascinating presentation by Alisa Miller, head of Public Radio International. She focuses on why the United States’ news media is showing even less about the world than ever - despite everyone professing to wanting to know more.

The most arresting fact? In US news coverage for February 2007, one story eclipsed news reports of all countries except Iraq: the death of Anna Nicole Smith. This was the same month that the IPCC released a report saying climate change is unequivocal and caused by human activity, Iran continued its nuclear enrichment program, North Korea decided to dismantle its nuclear facilities, and unrest was unabated in Afghanistan, Palestine, Pakistan, Somalia, Thailand, throughout Africa and in many other counties.

A few other important points:

• In the past few years, news networks have reduced the number of their foreign bureaus by 50%.
• There are almost no network news bureaus in all of Africa, India or South America.

Pink News also has an interesting interview with Miller, where she discusses PRI’s challenges and recent successes.

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Having worked with a number of international and domestic organizations over the past several years, whose mandates may change considerably on the shifting sands of foreign relations, it has become abundantly clear that familiarity with global trends is a necessity in this increasingly interconnected world.

As we’ve seen with each political cycle here in the United States, ignorance of how the global system works – the ebb and flow of international trade, immigration, information and so on – can lead to naive perspectives on public policy. This allows politicians to more easily exploit popular misconceptions through dangerously populist rhetoric.

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If anything, I am certainly an inveterate traveler. What began as an odd trip to this country or that, is now an often-as-possible jaunt to wherever strikes my latest fancy. The latest interest was Mexico, specifically San Miguel de Allende. A pleasant town about five hours north of Mexico City, San Miguel sits roughly 2000 meters above sea-level, giving it a cool temperate climate. The landscape is equally as agreeable, with rolling lowlands interspersed with lofty hills. Here, cattle and goats lazily graze the light scrub while cowboys watch attentively. All considered, a wonderful, but all too brief journey.

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Read Portugal Travel-Log: Part 1, Lisbon and CoimbraModern Lisbon and classic Coimbra, home to one of the world’s oldest universities

Porto

The next morning brought cold rain and an early departure for Porto, further to the north. Portugal’s second largest city and famed for its sweet Port wine, Porto stands gracefully above the northern banks of the Douro River. Arriving on the train, the first thing a visitor will notice are the towering bridges that connect Porto and its more modern neighbour Vila Nova de Gaia. One such span, the Dom Luís I Bridge, arches majestically over the river and brings to mind images of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. This is no accident; the bridge’s designer, Léopold Valentin, was one of Gustav Eiffel’s young protégés.

The lights of Ribeira glisten in the cool night air, the historic center of Porto, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 (Portugal’s 8th)Parts of Porto, with boarded up buildings and scrawled graffiti, hint at the city’s hard-scrabble past as a shipping port and decades of economic despondency. Closer to the Douro River, the buildings are older and the area more well-preserved. Riberia, belying Porto’s more recent economic struggles, is an exquisite gem of august architecture, fine restaurants and majestic bridges. UNESCO certainly thought so, naming Riberia a World Heritage Site in 1996. Dining on Portugal’s superb cuisine and sweet Port wine with the Don Luis I alight in the darkness as a backdrop is truly a singular pleasure.

Lisbon, Once Again

After a short train ride from Porto, I was once again in Lisbon for the final days of my journey. Arriving into Lisbon via train is an aesthetic pleasure. Gradually you close in to the city, with its stately hills falling into the broad Tagus river-side. The train then pulls into Oriente Station, its radiant lattice-work canopy towering high above the station platform. Designed by Spanish master Santiago Calatrava, the station is further part of the 1998 World Expo complex. After a quick check-in at the hotel, I again set out onto the streets of Lisbon ready for my next discovery.

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

While exploring Barrio Alto, I stumbled upon one of Lisbon’s great museums, the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga. Given the nation’s religious tradition, the crucifixion of Christ is a reoccurring theme in this museum’s bountiful collection. Through a wide variety of media, Christ is depicted in graphic detail dragging his cross, being nailed to it, suffering almightily for our sins, dying and, finally, blessedly, being removed from said cross and laid to rest in a cave, ready for his imminent resurrection. The excruciating exactitude of many of the works border on the macabre. Alas, much of the rest of the museum was closed for renovation, so Christ’s allegorical agony will be my most vivid memory of the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.

Belém Tower and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

With the nearby Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Belem Tower tower was classified a National Monument in 1910 and a World Heritage Site in 1983Not wanting to waste time, I caught an aging Mercedes taxi that bounced along cobble-stone streets to Belém Tower. Standing guard at the mouth of the Tagus River, the alabaster tower is a sight to behold. Built in the to commemorate the expedition of Vasco de Gama and as part of the city’s defensive system, Belém Tower has since become a widely-recognized symbol of Lisbon. And rightly so, the tower’s elegant stone-work and refined form make for a striking gateway into the city while handsomely disavowing the Tower’s original militaristic intention.

A short walk from Belém Tower is Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) and the Church of Santa Maria, the three together composing UNESCO’s 263rd World Heritage Site. Built by Manuel I to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s return from India, the church and monastery are true products of Portugal’s “Age of Discovery”. Replete with intricate nautical motifs and design influences from around the known world, the complex is a sight to behold.

Intended for the burial of the House of Aviz, the Church of Santa Maria instead became a house of prayer for departing Portuguese marinersMost immediate is the church, an opulent mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles and considered one of the most magnificent works of its time. Inside, cascades of light from the setting sun flood the vaulted interior, the raised crucifix casting a deep shadow across worshipers below. The warm illumination fills the nave with an unearthly radiance. It is easy to imagine adventuresome explorers receiving divine inspiration while praying before their next voyage into the unknown.

Just beyond the church is the Jerónimos Monastery, a sumptuous late-Gothic cloister built using pedra lioz, a local gold-colored limestone. Fittingly, the construction was funded with a 5% tax on the spice trade. The riches of the spice trade allowed the designers wide latitude, resulting in resplendent ornamentation throughout the majestic passageways and cloister. A recent renovation has restored the gold limestone to its original glory.

Castle of São Jorge

While darkness descends on Lisbon, as viewed from Castle Sao Jorge, the city begins to awake with the sights and sounds of celebrationsWith the daylight quickly receding, I hailed an ancient Mercedes taxi and sped across Lisbon’s narrow and jarring cobblestone streets to the Castle of São Jorge. Situated on the highest hill in the city and at the heart of historic Lisbon, the Castle of São Jorge occupies a commanding point above the capital. The castle’s towering citadel, with its narrow passages and precipitous heights, make for adventurous exploration. It is also an ideal vantage point to enjoy the shimmering threads of light that twist through the Lisbon metropolis.

With the day put to rest and another lively Lisbon night awaking, the view was a perfect coda to another fantastic journey. The following day would bring a day of lengthy flights, customs queues and the myriad of travels facing the modern traveler. Through it all, it was poetic to be returning to the new world on trails blazed by Portuguese explorers so many years before.

View Portraits of Portugal: Journeys through Lisbon, Coimbra and PortoMysterious gardens and historic monasteries, modern aquariums and majestic skylines

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So everyone will stop being shocked when they hear about it, yes, I bought an iPhone. And it’s brilliant.

It is sort of like the genius friend we all have. The one who also happens to be a super-model. And just like the beautiful intelligent friend, occasionally it crashes hard when over-burdened. But I still love it. Now, everyone, stop asking to hold it every time I take it out to check the time. My genius-super-model-phone is taken.

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