A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.

New branding concept promotes Swedish firms

In a move to help companies cash in on their nation's values a new branding concept -- Brands of Sweden -- was launched this week with the aim to promote the brand identity of Sweden and Swedish companies internationally. The concept, created by the Swedish Institute, will first be used in conjunction with the royal wedding and the City of Stockholm’s “Love Stockholm 2010” event.

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Brand Israel should integrate conflict and adversity, says advisor

We have spoken about Israel’s nation brand before: the country is notorious for being at the very end of the tail in most national perception rankings. At the 2009 EastWest’s global nation brands perception index, Israel was 192 out of 200, behind rogue states such as North Korea, Cuba or Yemen, and just before Sudan and Iran.

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US embassy offered less land at higher rate

The government has decided to reduce drastically the size of land to be sold to the US embassy and sharply increase the price, Dawn has learnt reliably. On August 19 last year, US Under-Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale was quoted as saying that the proposed expansion reflected Washington’s desire to improve relations with Pakistan.

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The Shortcomings of Tweet-o-Diplomacy

Last week Ashton Kutcher, with an entourage of prominent IT reps, arrived in Moscow to encourage Russia's online community to take up social causes, as well as discuss the recent project "Electronic Russia", which is supposedly an attempt to improve communication and governance in the country.

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Avatar the Movie: Connections to Public Diplomacy and Theology?

In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Cameron discussed his vision of the movie as a metaphor of modern society's abuse of guns, technology and power. He notes that this lifestyle will lead to adverse effects on mankind "if we don’t wise up and start seeking a life that’s in balance with the natural cycles of life on earth.”

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Government to add English hasbara site

An English-language Web site will soon be added to the government’s new effort to involve average Israelis in the effort to defend the Jewish state abroad, Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Wednesday.

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Showdown in Iran

As Iran marked the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, amidst reports of clashes between opposition supporters and police, authorities disrupted the flow of information by preventing journalists from covering opposition activity, drastically slowing internet service in Iran, and shutting down text messaging services.

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Bombard Iran….with Broadband

However, thanks to a number of systemic changes, direct logistical, financial or military assistance cannot be contemplated. Yet, there is one option that might prove a highly efficient way of supporting the green movement while avoiding any direct entanglement into Iran's affairs: bombarding the country with high-speed internet access.

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