News & Opinion on Terrorism & Strategic Communication — October 6, 2007

Beat By a Guy in a Cave. “A perceptive Singaporean diplomat and scholar, KishoreMahbubani, was asked two years ago what puzzled
him about America’s competition with Osama bin Laden.Mahbubani replied:’Howhas oneman in a cave managed to out-communicate the world’s greatest communication society?’” (Richard Halloran; Parameters, Fall 2007). Find a summary here. Note: Halloran cites our paper, A 21st Century Model for Communication in the Global War of Ideas.

State Department’s DipNote Blog: The Reviews Are Coming In

• Dipnote Blog is Too Diplomatic. “Alas, we won’t find any scoops here. When I scanned the blog’s initial output, there wasn’t too much helpful info on the Middle East, or on anything else, for that matter.” (TIME Middle East Blog, 10/4).
• Neither Here nor There. “The Department of State’s DipNote…isn’t half bad and has quickly found a rhythm. However, and this really isn’t a knock on the blog, it isn’t more than half good either.” (MountainRunner, 10/3).
• A Blog for Dips? “Don’t they realize that the word ‘dip’ often goes in front of other uncomplimentary words? And yet they chose to name ‘the State Department’s first-ever blog’ something that makes anyone with half a nervous system titter.” (Sivacracy, 10/4)

Hughes: Public Diplomacy More Integrated into Policy. “Public diplomacy is currently more integrated in policy planning than it has been at any time since it was merged into the State Department.” (New York Times, 9/28).

Is the War on Terror Aggressive Enough? “Belatedly, the Bush administration has ratcheted up the effort, but critics contend it’s still not being conducted aggressively enough, coordinated at a sufficiently high level in the government or designed to change behavior as opposed to public opinion.” (Real Clear Politics, 10/4).

How Satellite TV is Changing The Middle East. “New communication technologies have transformed the Middle East media landscape and opened a path for profound political and social change in the region, say many experts. But journalistic standards still need to be mastered.” (Women’s Lens, 10/4).