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.
Students Connect With Haiti Through Art
Principal Ryan Cleary said the idea came from the school's desire to work on cultural learning in an authentic way. "Learning about different cultures is part of the West Hartford curriculum and we do a lot of things with the resources we have," Cleary said. "We wanted to go a step further and learn about another culture through an authentic, real relationship and actually get to know somebody else. We wanted them to find a deeper meaning. We felt this would have a lasting impression."
‘The Islamic World is Too Big to Generalize’
Mark Donfried, founder and director general of the Berlin-based Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD), is not surprised at the comparatively low level of knowledge in the US about the Arab world, as revealed in a recent YouGov/Arab News survey. “Between 70 and 80 percent of Americans don’t have passports and so don’t go abroad. Most of the ones who do go to Canada and Mexico, some to Europe, but few of them make it to the Middle East,” he said.
BBG Holds Panel on Media for World Press Freedom Day
The CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the parent organization for the Voice of America, told a panel commemorating World Press Freedom Day that there is a war of information happening in the world. The BBG and George Washington University's School for Media and Public Affairs organized the panel in Washington on Monday to discuss the challenges of international journalism, the rise of fake news and how media can establish credibility.
Merkel in UAE, Seeks Diplomatic Solution in Yemen
German Chancellor Angela Merkel uncovered on Monday her intension to employ diplomatic channels in search for a peaceful solution to the ongoing war in Yemen, adding that she already received the support of Riyadh in this regard. [...] Merkel held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on the conflicts in Yemen, Libya and Syria, as well as strengthening economic ties.
Europe Through Diverse Eyes
More than five centuries ago, the first Europeans set foot on Philippine soil after miles upon miles of sailing the world’s hitherto impassable oceans. Now, it’s the Filipinos who get to explore unfamiliar territory through Layag: European Classics in Filipino, the very first Filipino anthology of short stories. With contributions from 11 European nations, it has a story of its own—as the longtime ambition of Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr.
Trump’s Opportunity in Latin America
The United States and its new administration need to reengage with Latin America. Regional dynamics are favorable for it, giving President Trump the opportunity to reestablish relationships with the rest of the Western Hemisphere—and thus reaffirm the United States’ position as the region’s key partner. Regional primacy must remain a cornerstone of US Grand Strategy if President Trump truly wants to protect the country’s strategic interests and national security.
China Taking on Wikipedia with its Own Online Encyclopedia
China has employed tens of thousands of scholars to write an internet version of its national encyclopaedia, which will go online next year to compete against Wikipedia. [...] Designed to be the nation’s first digital book of “everything”, it will feature more than 300,000 entries, each about 1,000 words long, making it twice as large as the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and about the same size as the Chinese-language version of Wikipedia.
A ‘University in Exile’ to Reconnect Syrian Students and Academics
Syrian students and academics scattered by war have had their careers and education disrupted. We spoke to the founder of the Jamiya Project, which is trying to reconnect Syrian academics to refugee students through blended online and in-person learning. Syria's Higher Education sector has been wrenched apart by the war. Once-flourishing universities have lost professors, students and facilities to violence and the exodus of 5 million people from the country.
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