celebrity diplomacy
Rapper Pitbull has been praised after sending his private plane to hurricane-hit Puerto Rico to transport cancer patients to the US mainland. [...] The Miami-born star - real name Armando Perez - told the New York Daily News he was "just doing [his] part."
This week's stories focused on non-traditional public diplomacy tools.
2017 has become the year when absurd jokes appear to be coming true. When Dennis Rodman made his first trip to North Korea back in 2013, it was amusing to imagine the eccentric NBA legend acting as the United States’ de facto ambassador to the country. [...] In an interview with Good Morning Britain, the five-time NBA champion offered to “straighten things out” between Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, emphasizing that he considers both men friends.
The Clooney Foundation for Justice says that it will bestow a grant of $1m to the SPLC in order to assist the civil rights organization in its attempts to combat violent extremism in the US, following the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer at a white supremacist rally in the campus city earlier this month.
When Kate Middleton and Prince William went to Poland and Germany, they were sent there on a Brexit “charm offensive” to help ease the tensions as Great Britain begins negotiations to exit the EU. The couple did more than charm the locals. They created magic.
The Google search “Benjamin Netanyahu” yields 16,100,000 results – but “Gal Gadot” yields 20,700,000. [...] It’s no secret that Israel has an image problem. Gadot’s newfound celebrity is possibly the best international publicity for the Jewish state in years, and is a perfect example of soft power.
A look at how non-state actors like celebrities influence foreign policy and global politics.
The ever-sunny Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a quick stop at the Global Citizen Festival on the eve of the G20 summit in Hamburg, to chill with none other than British rockers Coldplay and pop star Shakira. Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire made a powerful statement on gender equality and the importance of empowering women and girls in the fight for justice at the Global Citizen Festival – an event that raises awareness for issues related to global poverty.