NEW STATE DEPARTMENT CENTER AIMS TO COUNTER TERRORISTS' MESSAGES - WARREN P.

STROBEL, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS (FORT WAYNE NEWS SENTINEL, IN, JUNE 12): A

long-awaited Bush administration public diplomacy strategy, intended to counter

the steep decline in America's global image, calls for the creation of a new

State Department center aimed solely at countering the spread of terrorist

ideology. Critics say better diplomatic public relations is unlikely to change

the low global opinion of the United States.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/...al/17360009.htm

SEE ALSO

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/147974.html



STATE DEPARTMENT GETS NEW PUBLIC DIPLOMACY STRATEGY TOM REGAN NPR (JUNE

12): It took 18 months and some prodding from other agencies, but the State

Department finally has a new strategy for communications and public diplomacy.

The new plan is intended to help State Department diplomats around the world

provide a unified message about U.S. policies and programs, something critics

say has been lacking.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/06/stat...s_new_publ.html



3. NEW PD STRATEGY - (IRC WORLD, OSLO, JUNE 12): The public diplomacy plan is a

result of more than a year of effort by Hughes and her staff, and is considered

the first comprehensive national strategy ever developed for public diplomacy.

Strangely, the document is not to be found on the state.gov or usinfo.state.gov

sites -- even the public diplomacy and public affairs page at State, and its

"public diplomacy update" section, fail to mention it.

http://ircworld.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-pd-strategy.html



DEMOCRATS' DIPLOMACY TALK DOESN'T MATCH DEEDS - OLIVIA ALBRECHT (BALTIMORE

SUN, JUNE 10): With little fanfare, Congress slashed $1.2 billion from the

already paltry international affairs budget, which funds the soft power of

diplomacy, including the State Department budget, the Peace Corps, peacekeeping

efforts in war-ravaged countries such as Sudan, AIDS prevention, development

assistance for Third World countries, and much more.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/o...-oped-headlines



2008 SPENDING BILLS ON THE MOVE: 3.5 PERCENT RAISE PROPOSED FOR FEDERAL

WORKERS AMY DOOLITTLE (FEDERAL TIMES, JUNE 11): The House began tackling the

spending bills last week, moving three to the floor and preparing another five

for votes in the full committee. Among the highlights: Financial Services and

General Government bill includes $4.7 billion for the State Department,

including $365 million for public diplomacy efforts and $501 million for

cultural and democracy exchange programs.

http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2824300



MARKETING AN INVASION: HOW TO SELL A WAR - JEFFREY ST. CLAIR (COUNTERPUNCH,

JUNE 12): Public diplomacy, as defined by former Under Secretary of State for

Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Charlotte Beers, is a one-way street, a

unilateral broadcast of American propaganda directly to the public, domestic and

international, a kind of informational carpet-bombing.

http://www.counterpunch.org/stclair06122007.html



PERES'S BIG DAY - CAROLINE GLICK: With Peres at the helm of the Foreign Ministry,

Israel's public diplomacy arm was summarily cancelled. Peres explained that

Israel didn't need to engage in public diplomacy because everyone would support

Israel now it had embarked on a path to peace.

http://israel7777777.blogspot.com/2007/06/peres-big-day.html



STEP ONE: CLOSE GUANTANAMO -- SHUTTING DOWN THE PRISON IS A GOOD WAY FOR

CONGRESS TO START RESTORING AMERICAN VALUES AND INTERNATIONAL STANDING

EDITORIAL (LOS ANGELES TIMES, JUNE 13)

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-...pinion-leftrail



IN PRAISE OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS - ELLEN CHESLER (NATION, JUNE 11): Profiles

of promising new immigrants to this country's shore.

http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=...5&s=chesler



AT LEAST HE DIDN'T CALL HIM "PAL" - MICHAEL MCGOUGH (LOS ANGELES TIMES, JUNE

13): "I'm skeptical about news reports that Bush 'drew gasps'at the Vatican for

addressing the pope as 'Sir' instead of 'Your Holiness.' The vaunted Vatican

diplomatic corps must have prepared the pontiff for the president's problems

with protocol."

http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2007/...ast_he_did.html



IRONY OF BUSH'S TOUR - CLAUDE SALHANI (WASHINGTON TIMES, JUNE 12): Talk

about the irony of ironies, on his European tour U.S. President George W. Bush

was met with protests in Christian countries and greeted as a liberator in

Europe's largest Muslim nation. Albania, 95 percent Muslim, has become an island

of staunch pro-Americanism in Europe.

http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.p...11-085930-4469r



WHY ALBANIANS LOVE AMERICA REVIEW & OUTLOOK (WALL STREET JOURNAL, JUNE

12): Mr. Bush's stand on behalf of a Kosovo's right to self-determination and

freedom is America at its best in Europe, pushing back against a Kremlin leader

with neo-imperial designs on the Continent's eastern half. It's no surprise Mr.

Bush got such a warm welcome in Prague, Warsaw and Tirana.

http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB1181...4031331911.html

PAID SUBSCRIPTION



CASTRO MOCKS BUSH VISITS TO ALBANIA AND BULGARIA - MANUEL ROIG-FRANZIA

(WASHINGTON POST, JUNE 13): Convalescing Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Tuesday

mocked President Bush's trips to Albania and Bulgaria this week in an editorial

headlined: "The Tyrant Visits Tirana," a reference to the capital of Albania.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...?hpid=sec-world



US CIVILIANS DRIVE IRAQ'S OTHER SURGE: TEAMS OF US EXPERTS IN LAW AND

MANAGEMENT ARE TRYING TO DEVELOP GOVERNANCE BY THE RULE OF LAW IN NORTHERN IRAQ

- HOWARD LAFRANCHI (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, JUNE 12): A key objective of a

civilian reconstruction team is to develop modern local governance while

breaking local leaders of a dependence on US forces.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0612/p01s02-woiq.html



IRAQI REFUGEES' PLIGHT GROWS AS U.S. DAWDLES - BILL FRELICK, REFUGEE POLICY

DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, WASHINGTON (LETTER TO THE EDITOR, WALL STREET

JOURNAL, JUNE 12)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1181610780...ON=wsjie/6month

PAID SUBSCRIPTION



BUSH SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IRAQI REFUGEES IVAN ELAND

(ANTIWAR.COM, JUNE 12)

http://www.antiwar.com/eland/?articleid=11123



IN IRAQ, MARINES' MORALE UNSHAKEN - TONY PERRY (BALTIMORE SUN, JUNE 10)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/o...-oped-headlines



US SIGNALS PERMANENT STAY IN IRAQ: CRITICS SAY A LONG-TERM US MILITARY

PRESENCE MAY PROVOKE GREATER IRAQI RESISTANCE OF THE 'OCCUPIER? - HOWARD

LAFRANCHI (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, JUNE 12)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0612/p01s01-woiq.html



OUR COMMON STRUGGLE: AMERICA HAD ITS CIVIL WAR. WHY EXPECT FREEDOM TO COME

EASY TO IRAQ? - NOURI AL-MALIKI (OPINION JOURNAL FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

EDITORIAL PAGE, JUNE 13): Mr. Maliki is prime minister of Iraq.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/fe...ml?id=110010203



AL-QAIDA VERSUS THE ISLAMIC ARMY: INSURGENTS IN IRAQ TURN ON EACH OTHER -

BERNHARD ZAND (SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL, JUNE 12)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/...,487882,00.html



ARMING A CIVIL WAR EDITORIAL (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, JUNE 12): It's a

risky strategy U.S. commanders are following in arming Sunni fighters who pledge

to hunt down al Qaeda guerrillas in Iraq.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...;type=printable



PEACE TALKS NOW: WITH NO EVIDENCE THAT THE SURGE IS SUCCEEDING, IT IS TIME

TO TRY FOR A CEASE-FIRE IN IRAQ. THE U.N. CAN HELP EDITORIAL (LOS ANGELES

TIMES, JUNE 12)

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-...pinion-leftrail



POST-TRAUMATIC IRAQ SYNDROME: THE WAR IS LOST. AMERICANS SHOULD BEGIN TO

DEAL WITH WHAT THAT MEANS - CHRISTOPHER J. FETTWEIS (LOS ANGELES TIMES, JUNE

12): Were our founding fathers here, they would surely look on Iraq with horror

and judge that the nation they created had fundamentally lost its way.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-...home-commentary



IRAQ: THE MESS THAT WAS TO BE - PAUL R PILLAR (ASIA TIMES, JUNE 12): For all

members of Congress who supported the war, the assessments about postwar

consequences are an inconvenient reminder of how they bought into the

administration's false equation of a presumed weapons program with the need to

invade, and how, in trying to protect themselves against charges of being soft

on national security, they failed to consider all of the factors that should

have influenced their votes.

http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IF12Ak01.html



IRANIAN MEDIA ON IRAQ & THE US JUAN COLE (INFORMED COMMENT: THOUGHTS ON

THE MIDDLE EAST, HISTORY, AND RELIGION, JUNE 12)

http://www.juancole.com/2007/06/iranian-me...s-usg-open.html



IRAN: PAST THE PARANOIA; AT ONCE THEOCRATIC, SECULAR, HOSTILE, AND MODERN,

IRAN IS NOT AMERICA?S NATURAL ENEMY - PETER HITCHENS (AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE,

JUNE 4)

http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_06_04/cover.html



THREE-WAY TIES - TULIN DALOGLU (WASHINGTON TIMES, JUNE 12): Many Turks

perceive the U.S. motive in the region to be the weakening of nation states

through highlighting ethnic and sectarian differences among people.

http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.p...11-085928-3404r



A MUBARAK DYNASTY? IT'S LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKELY. BUT THE UNITED STATES

CAN STILL PUSH FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS - JEFFREY AZARVA (WEEKLY STANDARD, JUNE

13)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...13/730hzmhx.asp



ANTI-ISRAEL JEWISH ACADEMIC PUNISHED - (ISLAMONLINE.COM, JUNE 12): A top

American university has denied tenure to a prominent Jewish academic who for his

outspoken criticism of Israel and support for the Palestinian cause. "I met the

standards of tenure DePaul required, but it wasn't enough to overcome the

political opposition to my speaking out on the Israel-Palestine conflict," said

Norman Finkelstein, an assistant political science professor.

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satelli...-News/NWELayout



ANALYSTS FAVOR U.S. SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDEAST - BY MOHAMED

ELSHINNAWI (VOA, JUNE 12): A recent forum convened by the same National

Endowment for Democracy, a panel of experts warned that the U.S. drive for

democracy in the Middle East is losing, not gaining ground.

http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLif...enderforprint=1



PUTIN'S MISSILE GAMBIT REVIEW & OUTLOOK (WALL STREET JOURNAL, JUNE 12):

The US Missile Defense Agency will spend the summer evaluating the Russian

offer, and there's a possibility there will be a useful way to integrate the

Azerbaijan radar into the U.S. global system. It's not, however, a substitute

for the necessary facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1181596102...ON=wsjie/6month



PUTIN'S MISSILE-DEFENSE GAMBIT - HARLAN ULLMAN (WASHINGTON TIMES, JUNE 13):

The intellectual and psychological challenge is for the White House to

understand that in many ways, the United States needs partners more than Russia

does.

http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.p...12-085216-3692r



BEAR BAITING - PATRICK J. BUCHANAN (AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE, JUNE 4): A first

order of business of the next president should be to repair the damage done to

Russian relations. And the way to begin is by getting NATO out of Russia's front

yard. Respect Russia's turf, as we would like her to respect ours.

http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_06_04/buchanan.html



HUNTING THE RUSSIAN BEAR : WHY THEY'RE AFTER PUTIN JUSTIN RAIMONDO

(ANTIWAR.COM, JUNE 11): There seems little doubt the color-coded "revolutions,"

with Western material and moral support, targeted the former Soviet "near

abroad" and aimed at reducing Russian influence and putting Putin on the

defensive. The construction of a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe was

the last straw. What had been primarily a propaganda campaign aimed at the

Kremlin has now taken a decidedly military turn, one that bodes ill for the

future and the cause of peace.

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11115



JUNGLE LAW AND DIFFICULT US-RUSSIA TIES - CHEN HU (PEOPLE?S DAILY, JUNE 13;

FIRST POSTED MAY 23): Judging from the current state of US-Russia relations, the

assertion of a new cold war is more or less an exaggeration, for the tensions

will not reach such a level. However, what is certain is that the "jungle law"

still plays a role in the management of international affairs. Doesn't this

reveal that the self-proclaimed democracy by some powers is in fact a crippled

democracy?

http://english.people.com.cn/200705/23/eng...523_377223.html



THE NEXT BATTLE FOR KOSOVO : BUSH AND PUTIN SQUARE OFF OVER THE QUESTION OF

INDEPENDENCE - STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (WEEKLY STANDARD, JUNE 11): The Kosovo issue

intersects with several areas of concern for the Bush administration and for

American interests. While Putin and his Serbian companions in provocation remain

an immediate challenge, Kosovo also offers potential for success in the global

perspective of democratization, to which the president remains committed.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...13/761volwi.asp



THE CIA'S FAVORITE FORM OF TORTURE GOES ON: A NEW EUROPEAN INVESTIGATION

SHOWS THE CIA USED "EXTREME SENSORY DEPRIVATION" ON AL-QAIDA TYPES (SALON, JUNE

11)

http://www.salon.com/news/primary_sources/...tion/print.html



BETWEEN DUST AND DELIVERANCE - THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (NEW YORK TIMES, JUNE 13):

Bin Ladenism, and its various jihadist offshoots, has died in Iraq. Yes, it will

still have adherents, but it has lost its revolutionary shine, because it has

turned out to be nothing more than a death cult.

http://select.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/opini...agewanted=print

PAID SUBSCRIPTION



COURTING THE ENEMY EDITORS (NATIONAL REVIEW, JUNE 12): The United States

is not at war with the uniformed army of a sovereign nation like Germany or

Japan. But we are still at war -- with a transnational terror network, whose

jihadist operatives are often, but not always, abetted by enemy nations.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDUxN...GUxZDZjZjk3OGE=



FLEETING GLORY IN ALBANIA - EUGENE ROBINSON (WASHINGTON POST, JUNE 12): We

will remember this whole misguided administration for deciding to wage the fight

against terrorism in a manner that not only mocks our nation's values but also

draws new recruits to the anti-American cause. We will remember this White House

for unwittingly helping the terrorist cause perpetuate itself.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1101856_pf.html



LAWRENCE WRIGHT'S TRIP TO AL-QAEDA - SUZANNE CHARLE (AMERICAN PROSPECT, JUNE

8): The 'Looming Tower' author has turned his extensive journalistic

investigations of terrorism and radical Islam into a powerful stage play.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?articl...trip_to_alqaeda



GATES OVERHAULS RUMSFELD'S PENTAGON - JIM LOBE (ANTIWAR.COM): In the less

than seven months since Gates himself replaced Rumsfeld, the former Central

Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief has played a key, if largely quiet, role in

steering U.S. policy in a more "realist" direction, promoted as well by

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her State Department colleagues,

according to observers here.

http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=11124



BUSHED ARMY: OUR FORCES STRAIN UNDER A SURGE OF NEW MISSIONS - ANDREW J.

BACEVICH (AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE, JUNE 4): President Bush has nickeled and dimed

the nation?s fighting forces to the verge of collapse. Even today he remains

oblivious to the basic problem that his administration has confronted for the

past four years -- too much war and too few soldiers.

http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_06_04/article1.html



AN 11-QUOTE QUIZ ON THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S WAR OF WORDS - TOM ENGELHARDT

AND NICK TURSE (TOMDISPATCH, JUNE 12): In recent months, backs against the

verbal wall, administration spinmeisters have begun spinning ever more wildly --

mixing metaphors, grasping at rhetorical straws, and stretching credulity at

every turn, if not turning point.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174809/eng..._fighting_words