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CHINA, COSTA RICA, AND THE RACE FOR U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL
FEB 15, 2011
Posted by Colin Alexander
All posts by Colin Alexander


Let me begin by describing a scenario to you. It’s Wednesday night in Costa Rica, about 8.30pm, and people in Costa Rica, as people do in most countries, are watching prime-time television. On this particular night, Costa Rica takes on their neighbors Venezuela in a soccer match and, due to the mass popularity of soccer in Costa Rica, it is drawing a large audience. Costa Rica scores, and after endless replays and analysis of a truly average goal, the action cuts to a "and here’s the reaction in China" sequence of pictures. What occurs next is without doubt the most…... Full Text
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SHARK-FIN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
JAN 20, 2011
Posted by Colin Alexander
All posts by Colin Alexander


Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s recent documentary about trade in shark-fins focused on Costa Rica and the pariah state of Taiwan. While filming he was reportedly threatened at gunpoint and covered in petrol by those who took exception to his presence. While this undoubtedly made for compelling television viewing on the UK’s Channel 4 TV station on Sunday January 16 (soon to be aired in the USA), for analysts of public diplomacy and soft power, the incident demonstrates a number of underlying truths. The negative fall-out from accosting and threatening a worldwide celebrity, in the current climate of celebrity obsession, will…... Full Text
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