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.
Benjamin R. Barber: Cultural diplomacy doesn’t change how countries do business
The trouble with cultural diplomacy – don't get me wrong, I like cultural diplomacy – is that it is redundant. Culture is diplomacy. Why? Because the medium in which the arts swim is not really words or deeds but imagination. Which is to say, cultural diplomacy cannot pretend to change how countries do business and probably should not even try. When asked whether his novels contained a message, Nabakov replied in terms cultural diplomats should emulate: "No, I am not a postman".
Ambassador Todd Welcomes MFAT’s Participation In IVLP
"The State Department's fully sponsored IVLP is an important part of our public diplomacy programme globally, regionally, and in Brunei." The IVLP programme is an all-expense-paid trip supported by the US Department of State. Hajah Fauziah will join 10 other participants from Asean member countries with varying backgrounds. The participants will include members of local human rights organisations, academics, journalists and other members of civil society involved in human rights issues.
Demolishing Korea’s national brand
A good brand is not made but discovered - and Seoul has only to look to the traditional neighborhoods its builders are now destroying. At times it seems the enormous effort Korea spends on some kind of effective branding is met with equal amounts of derision from the international public. While some of the recent slogans have been better received than those of the past, none has been truly successful.
Turkey is becoming a regional broker
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is considered by many as the architect of Turkey's neo-foreign policy. His ‘zero-problem' approach with neighbouring countries has served as a guideline for his country's foreign policy since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002. Davutoglu has been particularly enthusiastic about improving ties with Syria and he has strong reasons for that.
The Role of Humanitarians in Government: Perspectives on Advocacy and Impact
humanitarians in government must raise the profile of our work – among our colleagues in government, within the Congress, and among civil society and the public at large. Public awareness of our issues is a critical pre-requisite to political support for international humanitarian objectives. We must engage in more vigorous public affairs and public diplomacy, information-sharing with Congress and the NGO community, and travel to regions of the world where key humanitarian issues are implicated.
Another Go at India-Pakistan Dialogue
While the Indian prime minister may have made a significant move in re-starting India-Pakistan dialogue, and while international opinion might also be gravitating towards that possibility, the ground realities in South Asia call for some pessimism. Pakistan is facing multiple challenges, and the dialogue process per se might be inadequate for meeting these challenges. The world would do well to take that into account as India and Pakistan embark on yet another tryst with the so-called peace process.
The sad legacy of 1989
This building used to be the biggest bookstore in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It’s now a cell phone store...And I suspect that is one of the U.S.’s greatest soft power challenges, and one of the reasons why 1989 did not turn out to be the “end of history” and the victory of liberal, democratic capitalism: Because, as little as people want their government to get their friends to spy on them or to be told how much wheat to produce in the next five years, they don’t want their culture to be ruined, either.
Outreach to Muslim Communities Unveiled
In a reflection on President Barack Obama's statement that "Islam is not the problem," Mark Lynch writes for Foreign Policy that the central focus of the Obama administration's outreach to Muslims involves engagement with local communities, initiatives for the common good, a defense of freedom of religion and expression, and addressing local needs instead of an emphasis on curtailing violent extremism.
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