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.
Obama sends message of weakness
Obama's version of American leadership mostly consists of a public diplomacy of self-flagellation and commitment to fashionable causes. He'll pursue global disarmament and fight global warming. Hollywood activist Laurie David, not Hillary Clinton, might be best suited to be his secretary of state.
Foreign languages more foreign to U.S. students
American students are falling far behind their international counterparts in learning second languages, creating economic disadvantages for U.S. businesses and raising national security concerns. Virtually all European and Asian elementary students study a second language, but 97 percent of Ohio and Kentucky students do not because their schools don’t offer it.
Barack Obama’s vision of American foreign policy
Mr Obama thinks that American power stems not from its ability to overawe and destroy, but from the appeal it offers as a haven for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. And the UN offers an ideal forum for using this "soft power" to achieve American goals.
Pictures at an Exhibition
Public diplomacy in the 21st century is more about the richness and sharing of human contact than anything else, the discovery of common ground while still maintaining personal values. Rockower invites us to take a trip - a number of trips, really - from Xi’an to Cusco, Lesotho to Saigon.
Failed UNESCO candidate blames U.S., Jewish lobby
The Egyptian candidate who lost a bid to head the U.N. culture and education body after a row over remarks last year that he was ready to burn Israeli books has blamed the United States and Jewish lobby for his defeat. Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni lost to Irina Gueorguieva Bokova, a former Bulgaria foreign minister, in this week's final round of voting to lead the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Pakistanis look on U.S. Embassy plans with suspicion
Ask Pakistanis why the United States needs to expand its embassy here in the capital and you'll hear a host of alarming answers. It's a cover for the construction of a Guantanamo-like prison. It's part of a U.S. attempt to colonize Pakistan. It's the first step in a covert plan to take over Pakistan's nuclear weapons. What you don't hear is the reason cited by American officials: the need for a bigger embassy operation to better manage the increased financial aid that Washington will be channeling to Pakistan in coming months.
At the U.N., Terrorism Pays
Although I am incensed by the Goldstone Report, I must admit that I was not surprised. It is, more than anything else, a political statement—not a legal analysis. This shameful document was produced by the Human Rights Council, a body whose obsession with Israel has led it to produce more resolutions condemning Israel than all other countries combined. By its lights, the evils of Israel far outweigh those of countries like Burma, Sudan and North Korea.
The State Dept.‘s Growing Language Barrier
Since assuming office, neither President Obama nor Secretary Clinton have publicly addressed the shortage of critical language speakers and its effect on diplomacy. (The administration has, however, addressed the shortage in intelligence programs.) For the success of the U.S., in Afghanistan and around the world, "soft power" forces should be as well equipped as military forces. Otherwise, the "misperceptions and misinformation" about the U.S. to which Obama alludes in his recent UN speech may continue to impede American endeavors for global stability.
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