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.
Speaking a Foreign Language Helps Soldiers Overseas
More than 217,000 service members speak a foreign language out of about 1.4 million active service members. Many members of Congress and military experts want to increase this number to improve communication and relationships abroad. Of the languages spoken, 72 percent are of strategic interest to the military, a Defense Department spokeswoman said.
The Saudi Guide To Piety
Americans are not the only ones who worry about the influence of these books: In Britain, a small political storm broke out last year when Saudi books calling on Muslims to kill all apostates were found in mosques there. Still, even if U.S. diplomacy is a legitimate response to this peculiarly insidious form of propaganda, it clearly isn't a sufficient response. Far more significant, and surely more effective, would be a unified response from the rest of the world's Muslims, the vast majority of whom do not share Saudi views and occasionally say so.
Beijing Freshens Up for the Olympics
Beijing residents are enjoying rare blue skies since Sunday, when regulations designed to clear the air ahead of the Olympic Games went into effect.
Chinese to Leave Diving Rivals in a Spin
With China top in all but one diving discipline, athletes and officials are concerned about the high expectations of the public and keen to talk down their chances.
China’s Unreality TV
To win the right to host the Games, Beijing promised to expand press freedoms for foreign reporters and implied that opening China to the world would help expand human rights more generally. We will never know whether China’s leaders intended to keep their word. What we do know is that the International Olympic Committee, corporate sponsors and governments around the world should have held China to its word. They have not, and China has read their silence as complicity.
“Great Wall of Steel” Tightens Around Beijing
China has tried to cover every angle in minimizing the threat of a terrorist attack or other breach of security at the Olympics. It has enlisted the help of Interpol, the FBI, organizers of the previous two Olympics in Athens and Sydney, and even the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors nuclear materials.
Olympic Athletes Wearing Masks Could Cause China to Lose Face
Chinese officials insist the notorious Beijing air will be cleaner by August, making face masks unnecessary. If athletes deploy the masks, they risk insulting the hosts. At the moment, there is no stated policy on mask-wearing at the opening ceremony or during competition. Olympic officials believe it's up to the international federation of each sport to determine whether to allow masks during events.
Hong Kong’s Olympic Kowtow
To ensure a successful Olympics, China has cracked down on all manner of free speech and association. Now, Hong Kong is following the mainland's lead.
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