Digital Journal, Featured, History, Poland, Russia

Was White House duped by Kremlin on timing of missile decision? | Digital Journal Op-Ed

By Ted Lipien Published October 2, 2009 by Digital Journal Speculations grow that Russian diplomats, working on instructions from propaganda experts, tricked White House and State Department officials to get President Obama to make his missile shield announcement on September 17, a bad day for Poland. Opinia.US, a bilingual Polish-English news website providing analysis of US-Polish relations, reports that bloggers…

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Poland, Russia

Sen. Voinovich Criticizes Obama for Public Diplomacy Disaster

Senator George V. Voinovich, R-OHOpinia.USOpinia.US SAN FRANCISCO — In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) said he was disappointed in the manner in which President Obama’s decision to revise a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe was communicated to NATO allies, Poland and Czech Republic. Calling the handling of the missile decision a “major public relations and public diplomacy blunder,” Senator Voinovich said that announcing it on September 17, 2009, the day of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland, made it even worse.

 

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Poland, Public Diplomacy, Russia

Sen. Voinovich criticizes Obama for public diplomacy disaster

Opinia.US In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) said he was disappointed in the manner in which President Obama’s decision to revise a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe was communicated to NATO allies, Poland and Czech Republic. Calling the handling of the missile decision a “major public relations and public diplomacy blunder,” Senator Voinovich…

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Public Diplomacy, Russia

Congressman McCotter Notes Administration’s Dismantling of Missile Defense Was Announced on Anniversary of Soviet Invasion of Poland

History is a harsh mistress when her lessons are neglected; and the world’s free peoples invite and incur her wrath each day this adolescent administration’s ideological fantasy of a ‘grand bargain’ with liberty’s enemies amounts to the fire sale of American security.   Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)   Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) was one of many American commentators and politicians…

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Public Diplomacy, Russia, Video

US Embassy Warsaw Farewell Interview with Ambassador Victor H. Ashe, Sept. 17, 2009

The interview with the outgoing US Ambassador to Poland Victor H. Ashe was conducted by a US Embassy Warsaw press attache on September 17, 2009, the day of President Obama’s announcement about discarding the American missile defense system in Poland and Czech Republic. The Polish government saw the missile shield as a major US security guarantee and protection against any…

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Poland, Public Diplomacy, Russia

Walesa on Obama’s Missile Diplomacy – American Diplomacy Failed Obama in Poland Update

“It wasn’t that the shield was that important, but it’s about the way, the way of treating us.”   –Lech Wałęsa, the former Polish president and Solidarity leader, regarding the US decision to drop the missile defense shield in Poland; John Brown’s Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review, Version 2.0   Dear Poland, Happy Soviet Invasion Day, Love Uncle Sam…

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Cold War, Digital Journal, Public Diplomacy, Russia

September 17, A Wrong Date for Obama White House to Snub Poland | Digital Journal Ted Lipien Op-Ed

The following is my op-ed for Digital Journal. Republishing is allowed. September 17, A Wrong Date for Obama White House to Snub Poland President Obama’s announcement on September 17 that the US is shelving its plans to build a ballistic missile defense (BMD) system in Central Europe is likely to raise painful historical memories in Poland. By making the announcement…

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Cold War, Public Diplomacy, Russia

September 17 could be a new date in US-Polish relations

Stratfor global intelligence analysis website reports that “rumors are flying late Sept. 16 that the United States could be shelving its plans to build a ballistic missile defense (BMD) system in Poland and Czech Republic. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reportedly will hold a news conference on the issue sometime Sept. 17 or Sept. 18, and U.S. security officials are…

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Digital Journal, Featured, Highlights, International Broadcasting, RFE, RL, Russia, VOA

Op-Ed From Russia with Censorship | Digital Journal

By Ted Lipien

Published September 16, 2009 by Digital Journal

Marine Gunny Sgt. Patrick Modriskey takes a break from his temporay duty in Moscow, Russia, to visit the 'Red Square' Oct. 30, 2006. Dept. of Defense photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen (released)

FreeMediaOnline.org Logo. FreeMediaOnline.org, Free Media Online Blog, GovoritAmerika.us, Commentary by Ted Lipien, September 16, 2009

San Francisco — Censorship from Russia and China comes home to America in profit-oriented and staying-in-the-market-at-any-cost decisions by American businesses and sometimes even US government agencies, as FreeMediaOnline.org, a San Francisco-based media freedom nonprofit, has been documenting and reporting.

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Uncategorized

RFE RL Points to Comprehensive Coverage

FreeMediaOnline.org Logo. FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog, September 15, 2009, San Francisco — We have reported earlier that Radio Liberty’s Russian Service, Radio Svoboda, website had ignored for a number of days the news story of Conde Nast censorship of a critical article about Mr. Putin by Scott Anderson. The article was banned by Conde Nast executives in New York from the Russian edition of the GQ magazine in Russia and from GQ websites, including its American website.

After FreeMediaOnline.org published its report pointing out limited coverage by Russian websites of both Radio Liberty and the Voice of America, VOA, both broadcasting stations devoted a lot of attention to the GQ story, albeit several days after it had been first reported by NPR on September 4, and after independent bloggers in the US and in Russia had already translated

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Digital Journal, Featured, Highlights, RFE, RL, Russia

Killings of Journalists in Russia Lead to Self-Censorship | Digital Journal

By Ted Lipien The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has released a report on unsolved killings of journalists in Russia which identifies the Russian Federation as one of the deadliest countries in the world for the press. Published September 15, 2009 by Digital Journal The international organization of journalists ranked Russia third worldwide in the number of journalists killed and…

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International Broadcasting, Russia

How Self-Censorship Works – Putin, GQ, and US Taxpayer-Supported Radio Liberty

Censorship and self-censorship have become a permanent feature of the media scene in Russia under Mr. Putin’s rule. Many Americans, however, were surprised last week that this kind of censorship with origins in Moscow has now reached corporate boardrooms in their own country and even put limits on news generated by US taxpayer supported Radio Liberty, which broadcasts to Russia.…

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