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.
Japanese film festival to be launched in Yangon
A Japanese film festival to strengthen the mutual friendship and boost cultural exchange between Japan and Myanmar will be launched in the two biggest cities of Yangon and Mandalay this month, according to the Japanese embassy here on Wednesday. The four-day film festival will be held in Yangon's Thamada cinema from Dec. 10 to 13 and in Mandalay's Winlight cinema from Dec. 17 to 20 respectively, the sources said.
Chu Shulong on the Development of the U.S. and China, and the World Order
Power is still the cornerstone of the international system. However, it is not the sole critical factor anymore; on the contrary, its influence is declining gradually. Globalization, interdependence, norms, institutions, values and other non-power factors are new bases for the construction of the international system and order. First, unipolarization and bipolarization are being replaced by multipolarization. Secondly, the impact and influence of coercive power is declining.
Russia’s vs China’s rise
This underscores just how differently China and Russia frame their roles in international relations. The Chinese underline the peaceful, non-threatening nature of their rise. A few years ago China coined the term ‘peaceful rise’ to describe its rise on the international arena. But even that was considered too aggressive, and the Chinese talk is now of a ‘peaceful road’ (which presupposes horizontal advancement, rather than rise).
Shifting the Afghan “Great Game”
So, while the US gets to play the “Ugly American” once again, the regional powers promote their interests in that war-torn country with a smiling face and away from the battlefield. America’s difficulties in Afghanistan – and the serious problems it faces in harnessing Pakistan’s government to a more robust fight against the Taliban both at home and in Afghanistan – provide an opportunity for these powers to attempt to shift the dynamics of the “Great Game” to their benefit.
Will ordinary Cubans reap the spoils of American tourism?
Travel analysts estimate that up to a million U.S. tourists would go to Cuba within the first year of travel restrictions being lifted, and millions more would follow. While some would stay at all-inclusive beach resorts owned by the Cuban government, the island doesn’t have the hotel capacity to absorb such a huge influx of Americans. So many American visitors would end up in the homes of ordinary Cubans, an arrangement that may fit their interests anyway.
Move for stronger partnership with Pakistanis this month: Hillary
“In about 10 days, we will be hosting the first-ever Pakistani-American diaspora community effort to create a non-profit, known as the American Pakistan Foundation, to collaborate on people-to-people exchanges, cultural diplomacy, and other advocacy to build a stronger partnership with the people of Pakistan,” said Sec. Clinton
NATO science cooperation aims to protect Caspian Sea environment
From 2 to 4 December, an advanced research workshop in Ferrara, Italy, aims to define a system for detecting and preventing soil erosion, sea level changes and pollution, and exploitation of fish stocks in the Caspian region.
U.S. Faces Rising Resistance to Its Latin American Policy
The U.S., which once considered Latin America its own backyard, is having an increasingly tough time calling the shots in a region where countries like Brazil and China are vying for influence, and where even tiny Honduras stands up to the "Colossus to the North.
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