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.
Foreign Service Jobs in Afghanistan to Grow
President Obama's senior national security officials have proposed a new overall strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, which he is expected to approve this week. It includes sending hundreds of U.S. civilian officials to Afghanistan, increasing the size of the embassy and its outposts by about 50 percent -- to about 900 personnel.
Hillary Clinton, E-diplomat, Embraces New Media
"New media is critical in this new era of diplomacy, where smart power and expanded dialogues are essential to achieving our foreign policy goals," said Cheryl Mills, Clinton's chief of staff. Early indications show a surge in interest, according to internal State Department statistics. Daily views of the Dipnote have doubled from 10,000 a year ago to 20,000 today, with 700 subscribers to its RSS feed, twice as many as in March 2008. The number of followers of the department on Twitter has tripled since Jan.
Whither Public Diplomacy? Sixty-six days (and counting) without an Under Secretary
As we approach the 100-day mark for the Obama Administration and despite the accolades bestowed on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her “e-Diplomacy” initiatives, as of March 23, 2009, the office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has been vacant for 66 days.
Middle East Media
Up until four or five years ago, the media was looked down upon here in the Gulf. But the launch of Al-Jazeera changed things. The BBC Arabic crew came over and snap – there was a channel. I think the Abu Dhabi government acknowledged the power of media and is now backing it strongly. The Emerati government is known for studying everything thoroughly before jumping in, but things are happening.
Online Diplomacy Has Arrived
Online diplomacy has arrived. The State Department has its own social networking site, similar to Facebook. It's called ExchangesConnect and it is administered by the department's Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs. According to Nextgov's Kellie Lunney, it includes blog postings, photos and videos from users across the world who discuss culture, language and global education programs. It's been running since December 2008. The State Department also has a blog, DipNote, where top-level officials discuss policies.
Master of Ceremonies
For all the brainpower that Barack Obama has brought to Washington, the only senior official with the right touch for articulating policy via the media seems to be the President himself. Last week he scored big in two TV firsts — a taped for broadcast greeting to Iran and an appearance on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.
Author Aims To Dispel Fallacies About Saudi Islam
Juan Cole, author of Engaging the Muslim World, wants readers to reconsider what they think they know about countries like Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. needs to unmix the message in Mexico
Mexico's quills are standing straight up, and Clinton will need to placate Mexicans with a good dose of public diplomacy. The best way to accomplish this goal would be to arrive with what has been lacking so far: a clear, unified message from the Obama administration regarding the sort of relationship it wants with Mexico.
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