Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASTANA597
2009-04-06 11:50:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Astana
Cable title:  

NEW TIMES REQUIRE NEW METHODS FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Tags:  PGOV PREL PROP PINR KPAO RS ZK 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTA #0597/01 0961150
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061150Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5106
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 1459
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0837
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0524
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1540
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 1022
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY 0935
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2585
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2255
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000597 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR S-ALEC ROSS FROM AMBASSADOR RICHARD HOAGLAND
STATE ALSO FOR R, P, SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EUR/RUS, EUR/CARC,
EUR/UMB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PROP PINR KPAO RS ZK
SUBJECT: NEW TIMES REQUIRE NEW METHODS FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

REF: A. MOSCOW 839

B. MOSCOW 835

C. 08 ASTANA 2353

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000597

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR S-ALEC ROSS FROM AMBASSADOR RICHARD HOAGLAND
STATE ALSO FOR R, P, SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EUR/RUS, EUR/CARC,
EUR/UMB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PROP PINR KPAO RS ZK
SUBJECT: NEW TIMES REQUIRE NEW METHODS FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

REF: A. MOSCOW 839

B. MOSCOW 835

C. 08 ASTANA 2353


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) As the Obama Administration moves to implement the
policy objectives determined by the Afghanistan-Pakistan
strategic review, and also works on the U.S.-Russia
relationship, it would be useful to reconsider public
diplomacy practices and ask if we are effectively
communicating our views in the former Soviet Union. As I
have reported since at least 2004 when I was Ambassador in
Tajikistan, I think we are not. Since the beginning of the
Putin era, Russia has insisted on zero-sum thinking vis--vis
the United States, asserting that its "near abroad" (the
former Soviet republics, especially in Central Asia) is its
special or privileged sphere of influence. The great
majority of the population in Kazakhstan and elsewhere in
Central Asia receive their news and information from
television, including to a large degree Russian television.
Thus, the Russian political world-view, including anti-U.S.
black propaganda, predominates. The most recent egregious
example was the so-called documentary, The Base, that aired
in prime time on April 5 on Russian national channel
Rossiya-TV. The main idea of The Base was that the Americans
are intent on conquering Kyrgyzstan, or possibly the whole
region, and treat the local people like dirt.


3. (SBU) After a decade of falling resources for U.S. public
diplomacy, the United States has a difficult time making its
views known in the Russian-speaking world that covers 11 time
zones for over 200 million people. The current
Russian-language Washington File is welcome, but the amount
of material is much too limited, generalized, and lacks
up-to-the-minute policy specificity. While a
Russian-language service of a respected international
broadcaster like CNN or the BCC would be ideal, that's not
likely to happen any time soon.


4. (SBU) However, the explosion of interactive social media
provides another option for the United States to tell its

story and set the record straight in the Russian-speaking
world. Admittedly, Internet penetration, especially in
Central Asia, is still relatively low. However, government
officials (including close monitoring by intelligence
agencies),journalists, civil society and other opinion
leaders, and the younger generation in particular, are
Internet savvy. For example, the Kazakhstan National Public
Opinion Survey of February 2009 shows that the Internet has
grown to be the primary source of political news and
information for 22% of the population (61% cite Russian TV
stations). You-Tube, FaceBook, and their Russian-language
equivalents are increasingly popular. Almost every
Kazakhstani media outlet has its own web site and encourages
readers' comments. Prime Minister Karim Masimov has
established his own blog (journalists frequently report the
current issues being discussed) and has instructed the other
ministers to establish their own blogs. Text messaging and
even Twittering are increasingly popular among the young.


5. (SBU) Embassy Moscow reports it is on the eve of
launching its own networking sites, www.openamerica.ru that
will be linked to LiveJournal on which the Embassy will post
videoblogs and short features on educational and cultural
events of the Embassy. This is a welcome development.
Moscow also reports it monitors the Russian blogosphere and
sees much discussion of U.S. policies and issues, but rarely
any response or participation from us.


6. (SBU) It seems to be an opportune moment for the
Department to establish a full-fledged, multi-(new)media
Russian-language web site. While the focus would be on the

ASTANA 00000597 002 OF 002


U.S.-Russia relationship and developments in Afghanistan,
other key policy issues, including U.S. economic leadership,
should be highlighted. To attract more users, especially the
young, daily "soft-power" features should be included. While
this would take some investment, we believe that the enhanced
policy bang for the buck would be well worth it.


7. (SBU) Such a web site would accomplish a number of
purposes. It would, in part, provide the transparency the
Government of Russia says it wants from us, it would
communicate broadly with government officials and private
individuals, and it would have a real multiplier effect,
since journalists through the former Soviet Union would
likely quote from it.


8. (SBU) To establish a pilot project, Embassy Astana would
be pleased to host a public diplomacy FSO for one year
over-complement to coordinate closely with the other Missions
in the region to develop a public-diplomacy strategy for this
kind of new web site and, war-room-like, to monitor closely
the Russian-language web sites available and the other mass
media. We would envision this officer feeding
Central-Asia-specific content advice and analysis to the
Department-based web site.


9. (U) Embassies Ashgabat, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Moscow, and
Tashkent have approved this proposal.
HOAGLAND