Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05CAIRO3066
2005-04-24 05:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:
EGYPT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESULTS AND ACTIVITIES
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 003066
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/PPD; ALSO FOR NEA/ELA, IIP/SC AND ECA/P
E.O. 12958: NA
TAGS: SCUL OEXC KPAO EG KIIP
SUBJECT: EGYPT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESULTS AND ACTIVITIES
(03/31/05-04/20/05)
REF: CAIRO 2736
Public Diplomacy programming in Egypt for this
reporting period continued to address the full range of
Post's MPP themes. This programming included Earth Day
lectures, a lecture series on U.S. foreign policy, a
DVC on Islam in America, and the launching of a new
book/film series. Post also recorded positive results
from its exchange program participants and its support
for a local English language conference. Summary
reports follow. Reftel is post's most recent prior
submission for NEA/PPD reporting and IIP's PD results
database.
--------------
RESULTS
--------------
(04/18/05) EGYPTIAN IVL GRANTEES RETURN WITH BIG PLANS
Three recent Egyptian participants in the International
Visitor Leadership (IVL) Program have come home full of
ambitious plans for expanded U.S.-Egypt cross-cultural
cooperation, and they already are taking steps to put
those plans into action. A journalist, whose IVL
program theme was conflict resolution, is working to
establish a conflict resolution center within a major
government-run think tank, with his supervisor's
support. Since his return, this journalist has also
published three positive commentaries about his IVL
experience. Another recent IVL grantee, whose program
theme was the Performing Arts in America, has already
been in to the Embassy to propose collaboration on new
translations of American plays and their subsequent
staging in Egypt. Among her ideas: an all-woman
performance of American monologues in Arabic. A third
grantee, an academic who had never before traveled to
the U.S. is now working to create an American Studies
Association for Egypt and a new American Studies
Institute.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
(04/12 - 04/13/05) CAIRO RELO SUPPORTS ENGLISH
TEACHING CONFERENCE, NEW ON-LINE ENGLISH COURSES
The Embassy's Regional English Language Office (RELO)
supported Ain Shams University's 25th National CDELT
Symposium (Current Developments in English Language
Teaching),providing speakers and support materials.
The Cairo RELO sponsored two American speakers on
"English of Young Children in Egypt" and "Creating
More Successful Readers and Writers," as well as a
talk by five alumni of the ECA-funded "E-Teacher"
program, who described their online English learning
experiences with American universities. RELO staff
gave all conference participants a copy of the "Young
Learners" issue of ECA's "English Teaching FORUM"
magazine, along with Cairo IRC-prepared materials.
The Egyptian E-Teachers announced that they will be
launching two on-line English teaching courses for
Egyptian educators at the end of June 2005: English
for Young Learners and Business English.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
--------------
ACTIVITIES
--------------
(04/12 - 04/19/05) EMBASSY PROGRAMS SELF-PROCLAIMED
"NEO-CON," SPARKING LIVELY DEBATES
Responding quickly to the availability of a prominent
foreign policy analyst and self-proclaimed neo-
conservative from the American Enterprise Institute,
the Embassy arranged program appearances for him, in
both Cairo and Alexandria, before professional groups
(Al Ahram Strategic Center, Egypt's Council on Foreign
Relations, and Cairo U's American Studies Center),as
well as media appearances (press roundtable, radio
interview, and live TV debate). The well-attended
lectures covered a wide range of foreign policy
topics, with audiences expressing appreciation for the
speaker's candor. The media appearances enabled a much
wider audience to hear directly from an articulate
spokesman for a controversial segment of the U.S.
political spectrum.
MPP GOAL: REGIONAL STABILITY
(04/09/05) WITH EMBASSY SUPPORT, FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR
INSPIRES EGYPTIAN YOUTH TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
In celebration of Earth Day, the Embassy sponsored
lectures by a visiting Fulbright scholar and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attorney, who
discussed the history of environmental conversation
and awareness in the U.S. The lectures, in both Cairo
and Alexandria, primarily targeted non-English
speaking environmental activists, journalists, and
students/youth club members. The latter were
particularly keen to hear how they might help protect
Egypt's environment. The Embassy worked with Egypt's
National Environmental Protection Society to present
these programs, highlighted an area in which Egyptians
and Americans are successfully cooperating.
MPP GOAL: ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
(04/20/05) DVC PREPS YES GRANTEES FOR YEAR IN AMERICA
To help prepare 40 Egyptian students selected for YES
grants (the Department's Partnerships for Learning,
Youth Exchange and Study Program) to study for one
year in the U.S., the Embassy organized a digital
video conference (DVC) with a leading Arab-American
Imam to discuss Muslim life in America. Over 100
attended, including new grantees and their parents, as
well as alumni. The DVC covered cultural differences
and tactics for adjusting to life in the U.S.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
(04/13) AMERICAN CENTER IN ALEXANDRIA DRAWS HEAVILY ON
IIP MATERIALS, RBO TITLES TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
The American Center in Alexandria (ACA) contributed to
Alexandria University's Earth Day celebration with a
booth exhibiting environmental books in Arabic from
the Cairo Regional Book Office (RBO),the IIP
publication: "Focus on Desertification," relevant
English language books from the ACA's Information
Resource Center (IRC),IIP Earth Day posters, and the
IIP-produced paper show "Environmental Action in
America." Visitors to the ACA booth received an
information packet including articles on the
environment reproduced from IIP's Washington File and
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
website, as well as the IIP Electronic Journal "Shared
Oceans, Shared Future." In all, over 500 RBO books,
100 IRC information packets, and 480 presentation
copies of IIP's Hi Magazines were distributed.
MPP GOAL: ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
(04/11) AMERICAN CENTER LAUNCHES LITERARY FORUM
The American Center in Alexandria (ACA) launched a new
monthly "Literary Forum" with a film showing and a
book discussion of Anne Tyler's "The Accidental
Tourist." ACA staff chose the book to commemorate
National Women's History month in March. An
enthusiastic audience included professors and graduate
and undergraduate students participating in a
discussion of Tyler and American women's writing
generally. The ACA's Information Resource Center (IRC)
provided reviews of Tyler's books, as well as articles
by and about her, including a biography.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
GRAY
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/PPD; ALSO FOR NEA/ELA, IIP/SC AND ECA/P
E.O. 12958: NA
TAGS: SCUL OEXC KPAO EG KIIP
SUBJECT: EGYPT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESULTS AND ACTIVITIES
(03/31/05-04/20/05)
REF: CAIRO 2736
Public Diplomacy programming in Egypt for this
reporting period continued to address the full range of
Post's MPP themes. This programming included Earth Day
lectures, a lecture series on U.S. foreign policy, a
DVC on Islam in America, and the launching of a new
book/film series. Post also recorded positive results
from its exchange program participants and its support
for a local English language conference. Summary
reports follow. Reftel is post's most recent prior
submission for NEA/PPD reporting and IIP's PD results
database.
--------------
RESULTS
--------------
(04/18/05) EGYPTIAN IVL GRANTEES RETURN WITH BIG PLANS
Three recent Egyptian participants in the International
Visitor Leadership (IVL) Program have come home full of
ambitious plans for expanded U.S.-Egypt cross-cultural
cooperation, and they already are taking steps to put
those plans into action. A journalist, whose IVL
program theme was conflict resolution, is working to
establish a conflict resolution center within a major
government-run think tank, with his supervisor's
support. Since his return, this journalist has also
published three positive commentaries about his IVL
experience. Another recent IVL grantee, whose program
theme was the Performing Arts in America, has already
been in to the Embassy to propose collaboration on new
translations of American plays and their subsequent
staging in Egypt. Among her ideas: an all-woman
performance of American monologues in Arabic. A third
grantee, an academic who had never before traveled to
the U.S. is now working to create an American Studies
Association for Egypt and a new American Studies
Institute.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
(04/12 - 04/13/05) CAIRO RELO SUPPORTS ENGLISH
TEACHING CONFERENCE, NEW ON-LINE ENGLISH COURSES
The Embassy's Regional English Language Office (RELO)
supported Ain Shams University's 25th National CDELT
Symposium (Current Developments in English Language
Teaching),providing speakers and support materials.
The Cairo RELO sponsored two American speakers on
"English of Young Children in Egypt" and "Creating
More Successful Readers and Writers," as well as a
talk by five alumni of the ECA-funded "E-Teacher"
program, who described their online English learning
experiences with American universities. RELO staff
gave all conference participants a copy of the "Young
Learners" issue of ECA's "English Teaching FORUM"
magazine, along with Cairo IRC-prepared materials.
The Egyptian E-Teachers announced that they will be
launching two on-line English teaching courses for
Egyptian educators at the end of June 2005: English
for Young Learners and Business English.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
--------------
ACTIVITIES
--------------
(04/12 - 04/19/05) EMBASSY PROGRAMS SELF-PROCLAIMED
"NEO-CON," SPARKING LIVELY DEBATES
Responding quickly to the availability of a prominent
foreign policy analyst and self-proclaimed neo-
conservative from the American Enterprise Institute,
the Embassy arranged program appearances for him, in
both Cairo and Alexandria, before professional groups
(Al Ahram Strategic Center, Egypt's Council on Foreign
Relations, and Cairo U's American Studies Center),as
well as media appearances (press roundtable, radio
interview, and live TV debate). The well-attended
lectures covered a wide range of foreign policy
topics, with audiences expressing appreciation for the
speaker's candor. The media appearances enabled a much
wider audience to hear directly from an articulate
spokesman for a controversial segment of the U.S.
political spectrum.
MPP GOAL: REGIONAL STABILITY
(04/09/05) WITH EMBASSY SUPPORT, FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR
INSPIRES EGYPTIAN YOUTH TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
In celebration of Earth Day, the Embassy sponsored
lectures by a visiting Fulbright scholar and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attorney, who
discussed the history of environmental conversation
and awareness in the U.S. The lectures, in both Cairo
and Alexandria, primarily targeted non-English
speaking environmental activists, journalists, and
students/youth club members. The latter were
particularly keen to hear how they might help protect
Egypt's environment. The Embassy worked with Egypt's
National Environmental Protection Society to present
these programs, highlighted an area in which Egyptians
and Americans are successfully cooperating.
MPP GOAL: ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
(04/20/05) DVC PREPS YES GRANTEES FOR YEAR IN AMERICA
To help prepare 40 Egyptian students selected for YES
grants (the Department's Partnerships for Learning,
Youth Exchange and Study Program) to study for one
year in the U.S., the Embassy organized a digital
video conference (DVC) with a leading Arab-American
Imam to discuss Muslim life in America. Over 100
attended, including new grantees and their parents, as
well as alumni. The DVC covered cultural differences
and tactics for adjusting to life in the U.S.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
(04/13) AMERICAN CENTER IN ALEXANDRIA DRAWS HEAVILY ON
IIP MATERIALS, RBO TITLES TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
The American Center in Alexandria (ACA) contributed to
Alexandria University's Earth Day celebration with a
booth exhibiting environmental books in Arabic from
the Cairo Regional Book Office (RBO),the IIP
publication: "Focus on Desertification," relevant
English language books from the ACA's Information
Resource Center (IRC),IIP Earth Day posters, and the
IIP-produced paper show "Environmental Action in
America." Visitors to the ACA booth received an
information packet including articles on the
environment reproduced from IIP's Washington File and
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
website, as well as the IIP Electronic Journal "Shared
Oceans, Shared Future." In all, over 500 RBO books,
100 IRC information packets, and 480 presentation
copies of IIP's Hi Magazines were distributed.
MPP GOAL: ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
(04/11) AMERICAN CENTER LAUNCHES LITERARY FORUM
The American Center in Alexandria (ACA) launched a new
monthly "Literary Forum" with a film showing and a
book discussion of Anne Tyler's "The Accidental
Tourist." ACA staff chose the book to commemorate
National Women's History month in March. An
enthusiastic audience included professors and graduate
and undergraduate students participating in a
discussion of Tyler and American women's writing
generally. The ACA's Information Resource Center (IRC)
provided reviews of Tyler's books, as well as articles
by and about her, including a biography.
MPP GOAL: MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
GRAY