MILTON WOLF SEMINAR VIENNA, AUSTRIA APRIL 16-18, 2013 DIPLOMATIC MANEUVERS AND JOURNALISTIC COVERAGE IN A TIME OF RESET, PIVOT AND REBALANCE INFORMATION PACKET AS OF APRIL 10, 2013 Table of Contents Seminar Overview ................................................................................................................. 1 Thematic Overview ............................................................................................................... 1 Suggested Further Reading .................................................................................................... 2 Thank you ............................................................................................................................. 3 Contact Details ...................................................................................................................... 4 Agenda .................................................................................................................................. 5 Seminar Logistics ................................................................................................................... 9 Travel Logistics .................................................................................................................... 10 About the Milton Wolf Seminar Series ................................................................................. 12 About the Organizers ........................................................................................................... 13 About the Emerging Scholars Program ................................................................................. 14 Panelist Bios ........................................................................................................................ 15 About the Organizers ........................................................................................................... 23 Emerging Scholar Bios ......................................................................................................... 25 Participants from the Diplomatic Academy .......................................................................... 27 SEMINAR OVERVIEW Launched in 2001, the Milton Wolf Seminar Series aims to deal with developing issues in diplomacy and journalism – both broadly defined. The 2013 seminar is jointly organized by the Center for Global Communication Studies (CGCS) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, The American Austrian Foundation (AAF), and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (DA). Guests include those working for state and multi- lateral organizations, journalists, media development practitioners, academics, and a select group of highly engaged graduate students interested in the seminar themes. The organizers envision the Milton Wolf Seminar as a meeting place for media practitioners, diplomats, academics, and students to share their perspectives, formulate new ideas, and identify areas where further research is needed. While the seminar will incorporate various speakers and panels, it is designed as a two-day continuing conversation in which all participants are encouraged to openly engage in dialogue and explore potential synergies and future collaborations. In order to encourage an open exchange of ideas, seminar attendance is limited only to invited participants and students. THEMATIC OVERVIEW The 2013 seminar, Diplomatic Maneuvers and Journalistic Coverage in a Time of Reset, Pivot and Rebalance addresses the critical role of diplomats and journalists in shaping the outcomes of what we call global geopolitical pivots. Pivots in this case refer to emergent geopolitical shifts around which multiple stakeholders--from major powers, to multilateral organizations, to bloggers working in isolation--seek to provide input on the most appropriate outcomes. As Zbigniew Brzezinski (1998) defined them, "Geopolitical pivots are the states whose importance is derived not from their power and motivation but rather from their sensitive location and from the consequences of their potentially vulnerable condition for the behavior of geo-strategic players. Most often, geopolitical pivots are determined by their geography, which in some cases gives them a special role in either defining access to important areas or in denying resources to a significant player.” Examples of contemporary global pivots that will be considered in this year’s Seminar include: the shifts in geopolitical approaches to Syria, the external role of Iran and the fixing on Syrian conflict, calls for regime change in Iran, and the intense Western attention to reform movements and government change in Burma (Myanmar). In the case of Syria, since protestors first took to the streets in 2011, a range of actors have participated in a complex and shifting web of global diplomatic discussions surrounding the legitimacy of the al-Assad regime, the utility of international intervention in the civil war, and the viability of the disparate Syrian opposition movements. Burma, also known as Myanmar, a closed regime ruled by the military since 1962, underwent its first election in 2010. Although boycotted by the opposition, this election marked the first sign of emergent changes within the country and has ignited the diplomatic community. Burma’s return to geopolitical prominence was punctuated by visits by US Secretary of State Hillary 1 Clinton in December 2011 and President Barak Obama in November 2012. They were the first senior US officials to visit the country in over fifty years. The third geopolitical pivot under analysis is the case of Iran. In 2009-2010 the world watched as election protesters took to the streets of Iran. While the Green Revolution failed to achieve regime change, those events, coupled with heightened security concerns over Israel, Syria, and the Iranian nuclear program, have placed Iran at the heart of global diplomatic conversations. In each of these cases, different state and non-state actors have put forward competing narratives advocating particular outcomes. These narratives are circulated, among other mechanisms, through political speeches, in the press, and via the internet. This year’s seminar will explore the critical role of this narrative construction in shaping diplomatic outcomes. How do diplomats, journalists, and other stakeholders seek to advocate for particular outcomes, and to what effect? Conversely, how do these geopolitical pivots or shifts affect on-going narratives of democratization, shifts from authoritarian regimes, and the role of media and communications in diplomacy? SUGGESTED FURTHER READING We have included a list of potential further reading materials that evaluate these issues. We hope you might review some of these materials in advance of the Seminar. Strategic Narratives, Communicative Action, & International Relations Antoniades, Andreas, Alister Miskimmon, and Ben O’Loughlin (Panelist Session 1). 2010. “Great Power Politics and Strategic Narratives”. Working Paper. Cooper, Robert F. (Panelist Session 2) (2002) “The Post Modern State.” In Mark Leonard (ed.) Re-Ordering the World: The Long-term Implications of September 11 (Foreign Policy Centre: London, 2002). See also: Cooper, Robert. 2004. The Breaking of Nations: Order and Chaos in the Twenty-First Century. Reprint. Grove Press. Haselock, Simon (Panelist Session 6) “Make it Theirs: The Imperative of Local Ownership in Communications and Media Initiatives.” Special Report, United States Institute of Peace. Sarikakis, Katharine. (2012) ‘Crisis’ – ‘Democracy’ – ‘Europe’: terms of contract? Framing public debates of the crisis. Workshop of the Austrian Research Association on the Financial Crisis of the 21st Century (Österreichische Forschungsgemeinschaft). Burma Clinton, Hillary (2011) “America’s Pacific Century.” Foreign Policy. November. Democratic Voice of Burma – Khin Maung Win, Deputy Executive Director, will be speaking during Session 2. International Media Support (2012) Myanmar: Change in in the Air: An Assessment of Media Development Challenges and Opportunities in Myanmar. Zaw, Aung (2011) “Burma in the US-China Great Game.” Parts I & II. Yale Global Online. Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. 2 Iran Price, Monroe (Panelist Sessions 2, 3, & 6) (2012) “Iran and the Soft War.” International Journal of Communication. 6: 2397-2415. Safshekan, Roozbeh, and Farzan Sabet (Panelist Session 3). 2010. “The Ayatollah’s Praetorians: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the 2009 Election Crisis.” The Middle East Journal 64 (4): 543–558. Esfandiari, Golnaz (Panelist Session 3) Persian Letters Blog, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty. Wojcieszak, Magdalena, Briar Smith (Panelist Session 3), & Mahmood Enayat (2013) Finding a Way: How Iranians Reach for News and Information. Iran Media Project. Center for Global Communication Studies. Syria and the Arab Spring CyberDissidents.org – Contributor Ahed Al Hendi will be speaking in Session 5. Faris, David M. (2013) “Digital Media and Identity in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities.” Orient i: 30-37. International Press Institute World Press Freedom Review. Lambert, Olly “Syria Behind the Lines.” PBS Frontline Documentary, April 9, 2013. Makiya, Kanan. 2013. “The Arab Spring Started in Iraq.” The New York Times, April 6, sec. Opinion / Sunday Review. NOW. News – Hanin Ghaddar, Managing Editor, will be speaking in Session 5. Rafizadeh, Majid (Panelist Sessions 3 & 4) (2013) “The Character of Revolution.” Huffington Post. Snider, Erin