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DEMOCRATS DELEGITIMIZING DEMOCRACY

Teresa Heinz-Kerry adjusted her tin foil hat in public today while making a baseless and wild-eyed charge of the kind often hurled in barroom bull sessions among loudmouth drunkards.

That party really needs a change of name….

A COUPLE OF USEFUL TOOLS FOR THE RESOURCE HUNGRY BLOGGER

For those of you, unlike Zenpundit, who have the time and ability to put cool imagery on your blog, I strongly suggest that you check out the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. A stunning online collection that has the virtue of being FREE !

Secondly, Regan Walker has kindly sent me his CITAR Weekly Threat Brief Newsletter. The newsletter includes all the links to news stories organized by week and on a regional basis for trouble spots around the world plus links to CITAR white papers. Very helpful as a blogging reference and as an alert. You can subscribe on the CITAR main page, I believe also for – FREE !

Free is good.

THE RULE-SET RESET, ISSUE # 2

The Rule-Set Reset Issue # 2 is finally available and it is FREE ! Yours for the downloading !

The size of the journal has grown and the rough edges have been polished by Bob Jacobson, Critt Jarvis and Steff Hedenkamp. I make a brief appearance in it to respond to a reader who believes that I don’t know my head from my hindquarters. My next article for RSR will becoming out in issue # 4 but by then a subscription will be required.

In the meantime, enjoy RSR !

JUST LIKE A BOLTON FROM THE BLUE [ Updated]!

Somewhere, wherever they are the Diplomad is very pleased.

Undersecretary of State John Bolton is to become the next UN Ambassador.

UPDATE: A great John Bolton round-up at The American Future.

STRATEGIC INFLUENCE AND CULTURAL COGNITION

JB at riting on the wall directs us to the following RAND paper. Here’s a quote that should warm the heart of Collounsbury:

“From these case studies we conclude that influence campaigns are highly sensitive to operational environments. Moreover, campaigns that do not take these sensitivities into account not only fail but are counterproductive”

This does not mean that cognitive and social psychology are useless for American statesmen in crafting a positive message for the Arab-Islamic World. Instead, it means not to confuse principles and devices with also having a coherent and culturally relevant script or dialogue. It also means respecting the limits of the possible in terms of aspects of American foreign policy that is perceived by Muslims as threatening their interests.

The United States is always going to have clashes of interests with other states and societies and as a rule we should try to see that our interests prevail. That being said, nothing is gained from our emphasizing to other people the stick that we are putting in their eye. Much less our extolling of why they should embrace the stick with joy. Pointless irritant and waste of our resources and time.

Our focus in strategic influence should be any existing common ground, our most attractive political memes like ” democracy” and ” freedom” and potential non-zero sum mutual gains from cooperation plus those instances of our relatively more altruistic gestures like tsunami aid.

Full RAND paper here.