"The anti-Taliban discourse during the Swat military operation, as mediated by the Pakistani state in its propaganda campaign, was aimed at maligning the Taliban militants in order to build support and legitimacy for the military offensive. The dominant trends in the analysis of state’s propaganda
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narratives in Pakistan’s two mainstream newspapers reveal that the main ideological discourse (Islam and national security) of the state remained unchanged during the conflict. In fact, the state tried to build its anti-Taliban narrative on the same ideological discourse. Since the meta-narrative of the state did not undergo any transformation, the post-9/11 anti-terrorism narrative of the state remains a superficial discourse. The discourse analysis of Pakistani state’s anti-Taliban narratives reveals this temporality and superficiality. The state, through its propaganda campaign, portrayed the Taliban as evil, as anti-state actors, who needed to be eliminated in the interests of the country. However, the state ideology supports a pro-Taliban narrative. The only conflict is operational and temporary. Thus, the state propaganda is not directed towards all Taliban, and it is event-specific and time-specific. The state has not abandoned the Islamic ideology and its so-called strategic discourse. The Islamic ideology and the national security discourse, on the basis of which Pakistan supported the Taliban in the 90s, suit more a pro-Taliban discourse. That is why the state’s anti-Taliban propaganda kept clashing with the ideology of the state." (Conclusion, page 23)
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"The manual is designed for a three-day workshop. It is accompanied by two sets of PowerPoint slides: Gender and security and Security and security sector reform (SSR) and a Companion workbook. The workbook contains tools, hand-outs, briefing information sheets and selected reading materials. It has
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been designed to be as helpful as possible to trainers. It also contains daily learning diaries and lists of resources on gender and security issues for journalists and civil society. The workbook can be given to participants for use during the workshop and for future reference." (Introduction, page 5)
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"Die Forderung nach Sicherheit im Internet, besonders in Hinblick auf die persönlichen Daten, die Gewährung der Freiheit dieses Mediums ohne staatliche Eingriffe, die Diskussion um adäquate Formen des Urheberrechts und seiner Durchsetzung sowie eine Fokussierung auf die Risiken verbunden mit eine
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m latenten Vorwurf eines unbedingten Reglementierungswillens des Staates sind Eckpunkte der deutschen netzpolitischen Debatte. Die Publikation soll mit Blick auf die netzpolitischen Entscheidungen in anderen Ländern einen Referenzrahmen bieten, der die Diskussion in Deutschland befruchten kann." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"It has to be underlined that this study does not see the internet as a major remedy for the development of political culture and civil society that is so essential for Pakistan’s further democratic consolidation. To understand possible contributions of the new information technologies towards pol
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itical progress it is important to consider them within the context of society. If the new media are integrated into ongoing struggles for change they can actually open up the landscape of ‘old politics’, providing additional possibilities for civic engagement and mobilisation. This is perhaps most evident in the efforts for women’s empowerment on and over the internet which in fact represent a new approach to the long-term activism against violence against women and for women’s rights in Pakistani society. The necessary attempts to reach a coherent legislation for internet use in Pakistan might provide another example in this regard - when pursued in a concerted manner. Here, civil society and the private sector could seek to develop a unified position vis-à -vis the state and to influence the government’s decision making process, thereby indirectly touching fundamental issues such as civil rights and cultural tolerance." (Conclusion, page 66)
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"This is an applied facilitator’s guide for reform managers, change agents, development practitioners, and training professionals who need to use smart communication techniques—the relevant concepts, frameworks and applications—to promote change through governance reform. It is grounded on the
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expert knowledge and practical research from academics and scholars and practitioners in the field, culled and enriched from CommGAP’s series of global dialogue on key governance issues." (Back cover)
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"This article describes and analyzes a little understood Afghan Taliban propaganda tool: chants or taranas. These melodic refrains effectively use historical narratives, symbology, and iconic portraits. The chants are engendered in emotions of sorrow, pride, desperation, hope, and complaints to mobi
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lize and convince the Afghan population of the Taliban’s worldview. The chants represent culturally relevant and simple messages that are communicated in a narrative and poetic form that is familiar to and resonates with the local people. They are virtually impossible for the United States and NATO to counter because of Western sensitivities concerning religious themes that dominate the Taliban narrative space, not to mention the lack of Western linguistic capabilities, including the understanding and mastering the poetic nature of local dialects." (Abstract)
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"Relying heavily on scores of first-hand accounts collected through interviews, the studies examine the practice of public diplomacy largely from the perspective of American practitioners in different countries. The analyses follow the standard field officer approach, asking systematically: what iss
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ues in local public opinion should we be addressing; who should we engage; how can we best engage them; and how well are the programs working? This is an ongoing process at every field post, involving local staff and constant attention to contacts. The studies in this book focus on field operations during one period of time, broadly from the end of the Bush administration to the early Obama administration, so comparisons can be made between them to determine which practices are common and which are unique [...] The first chapters in this book offer analyses of public diplomacy operations in specific countries in Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, and Asia. Four other chapters focus directly on the specific question being asked by practitioners and scholars today: What is the role of the new media in public diplomacy? Two chapters present findings that advance our understanding of the role of the private sector, and the parallel roles of the State Department and the Peace Corps. The final chapter summarizes best practices from recent field experiences." (Preface, page x)
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"This manual describes the process for starting a local radio station—the organization of community support and planning, equipment needs, programming strategies, business growth and sustainability and journalistic ethics and standards. This manual does not insist that you follow a set of rules to
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start and operate a station. But it does offer important guidelines about what things you might think about, why they are important and how you can learn from the experiences of other communities in other parts of Afghanistan and the world. There’s information in this manual for community supporters, station managers, reporters, technicians and other workers, and you can give copies of this manual to them." (Page 7)
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90 Indian community radio stations present their background, programming focuses, lessons learned and contact details.
"The study uses qualitative and quantitative research to perform a community-based needs assessment. It highlights the underlying issues of a weak economy, infrastructure and caste system. It also highlights social and family networks that strengthen communities. The research then investigates how t
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he community radio station is responding to these needs, presenting findings alongside the potential 'role of radio' (HCR 2002). The study uses a set o community radio indicators (James 2004) in collaboration with 'five conditions for social change' (Dragon and Tufte 2006) to identify limitations and constraints, and review effectiveness. The dissertation concludes with key recommendations for the station to: increase networking, increase learning and, most importantly, increase community involvement. It makes recommendations for donors to reduce control and increase community participation." (Abstract)
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"This document reports on the pilot assessment of 15 community radio stations – or of radios that claim to be community radios – based on the Community Radio Performance Assessment System (CR-PAS) developed by the Community Radio Support Centre (CRSC) / Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (
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NEFEJ). The CR-PAS seeks to assess community radio stations in seven performance areas: participation and ownership, governance, programs, resource structure and management, station management, financial management and networking. It uses a set of 60 indicators and is intended to be a practical tool that the stations could eventually adopt for continuous self-assessment. Following a brief overview of radio in Nepal, this report provides an overview of the CR-PAS and the assessment process. Thereafter, it reports on the findings and analysis both of all the radios that were assessed and also of individual stations, leading to conclusions and recommendations." (Executive summary)
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