"To distance itself from past practices that some military officers called propaganda," the Obama administration closed the Defense Department's office for support to public diplomacy. "The office was created in 2007 to be the central point within the vast Pentagon bureaucracy and far-flung military to coordinate the Defense Department's overseas information efforts" with the White House, State Department, overseas embassies and other U.S. government entities. In 2008, the office's "'talking points' ... for use in responding to queries on matters like civilian casualties" were criticized by U.S. officers in Afghanistan. The officers refused to use the talking points, saying Afghans would see them as "blatant propaganda." The Pentagon is now supposed to "play a supporting role to the White House and the State Department" on public diplomacy, though the "Defense Department has far greater resources in money, trained communications personnel and broadcast and print technology than any other government agency or department." The Obama administration also eliminated the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Support to Public Diplomacy, previously held by Michael Doran.

"We've barely scratched the surface as to what we can use to communicate with people around the world," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told department staffers, arguing for greater and more innovative use of the Internet. Former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy James Glassman -- who previously hosted the "journo-lobbying" site Tech Central Station -- also supported what he called "Public Diplomacy 2.0." As the Center for Media and Democracy reported previously, Glassman's online initiatives -- by his own admission -- raise questions about the ban on domestic dissemination of material intended for foreign audiences, the Smith-Mundt propaganda ban. Jeremy Curtin, who coordinates State's Bureau of International Information Programs, stressed that the government's role online is "to help lead the conversation in ways that are constructive," or supportive of U.S. policies. Often, funding is an issue. "State's digital outreach team -- federal officials who log on to discussion forums in Arabic, Persian and Urdu to discuss U.S. foreign policy -- has only a dozen people. Glassman recalled a former Defense Department official commenting that if such a program had been in the [Pentagon], that number would have been 800."

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, has released its list of "urgent," "critical" and "time sensitive" policy concerns for President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress. Several are military-related, such as the "U.S. efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan," "undisciplined defense spending," "caring for service members," and "rebuilding military readiness." Another priority, "improving the U.S. image abroad," arguably makes the list because of U.S. military actions. The GAO recommends better "strategic planning, coordination, and performance measurement" of public diplomacy efforts. In particular, the State Department should "improve the delivery of public diplomacy messages to Muslim audiences," develop "a strategy to guide department efforts to engage the private sector," and standardize approaches "for marking and publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance." Among the GAO's other top priorities are better managing "financial institutions and markets" by "reforming the U.S. financial regulatory system to reflect 21st century realities."

After several months offline, former U.S. Foreign Service officer John Brown has reactivated his "Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review," which summarizes current news about public relations efforts by the United States and other countries. Brown's latest bulletin includes several items on the State Department's "Democracy Challenge," a YouTube contest asking global citizens to complete the sentence, "Democracy is..." Other recent items discuss the PR damage to Russia's image following its invasion of Georgia; results of a recent survey examining international preferences in the U.S. presidential election race; and links to video archives of old Soviet propaganda cartoons; and an essay by Brown himself about the difference between public diplomacy and propaganda.

Karen Hughes and Mark PennFormer undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs and longtime George Bush advisor and confidante Karen Hughes has taken a position with PR giant Burson Marsteller. She will be working closely with former Hillary Clinton campaign guru Mark Penn. As CMD previously reported, Penn's dual role with the Clinton campaign and B-M was problematic. He was found to be working for Colombia on a free trade deal that Clinton opposed. B-M also works for anti-union clients, while Clinton was counting on labor's support. For her part, Hughes was unable to repair a badly broken U.S. image abroad. Hiring Hughes is part of a larger effort by Penn to increase B-M's "reach and expertise." Summing up the partnership, Penn said "Karen and I have had so many of the same experiences in the White House and campaigns, and have worked around the world. But we agreed that we won't let politics interfere in our business."

St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square, Moscow"Flush with foreign reserves from oil and natural gas sales, the Kremlin is pumping tens of millions of dollars into various forms of public diplomacy," reports Peter Finn. The Russian government "has hired the giant U.S. public relations firm Ketchum Inc. 'to help the government tell its story of economic growth and opportunity for its citizens,' said Randy DeCleene, an executive at the firm." As part of the PR push, "the official government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta is ... fund[ing] monthly supplements in newspapers in India, Britain, Bulgaria and the United States," including a paid supplement in the Washington Post. "Russiaprofile.org, a news and analysis site funded by [the government news agency] RIA Novosti" features "a range of opinions, including some quite hostile to the Kremlin." RIA Novosti also hosts an annual "Valdai Discussion Club," where "30 to 40 Russia experts and prominent journalists, mostly from the United States and Western Europe ... are wined and dined in the company of Russian policymakers and political analysts." The Hoover Institute's Michael McFaul (an adviser to Barack Obama's campaign) called the Valdai events, which featured sessions with then-President Vladimir Putin, "really smart PR." A previous Spin noted Russia's new think tank, the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation.

The Russian government, upset at criticism from such foreign-funded organizations as the U.S. think tank Freedom House, is turning the tables. Moscow approved the creation of the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, which will "study democracy and human rights in Europe and the United States." The Institute, whose funding comes from "private businesses," has offices in New York and Paris. "No country can monopolize the definition of standards of democracy and human rights," said Institute founder Anatoly Kucherena. In related news, the National Information Center will open in Moscow next month. "The center's aims include improving Russia's image abroad, promoting national projects and providing [Russian and foreign] journalists with first-hand contacts in the presidential administration," reports the Moscow Times. The Center will also be funded by business leaders, while Vasily Shestakov, "a friend and judo partner of President Vladimir Putin," has been invited to head its supervisory board.

As China prepares to host the Olympic Games, President Hu Jintao is urging Communist Party officials to "perform well the task of outward propaganda, further exhibit and raise up the nation's good image." At a recent Communist Party gathering, Jintao stressed the need for "cultural soft power," or public diplomacy, and said Chinese propaganda must "advance the building of the body of socialist core value and further boost unity and harmony." To improve their propaganda, the Beijing 2008 Olympics organizers have been working with the major public relations firm Hill & Knowlton. In related news, Chinese officials "are increasingly engaging in the debate over their country's role in Africa," countering charges that "they are neo-colonialists engaged in a remorseless drive for Africa's commodities," reports Financial Times. China's ambassador to Pretoria, South Africa defended his country's engagement with repressive governments like Zimbabwe's: "If you want to pressure and you cut all dialogue you cannot reason" with them. He also defended "the influx of cheap Chinese goods," saying African villagers' ability to "wear new clothes from China" instead of second-hand clothes gives them "confidence."