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.

Activism In Mexico City: What Do We Want? Another Chance To Should Protest Slogans In The Street!

Juan Manuel Contreras, a church singer and laid-off electrical supply worker, had been honking his car horn and shouting through a megaphone out of the window for half an hour when he turned to me with a question one might only address to a newly arrived foreigner in Mexico.

Tags: mexico, protest, activism, security, economy, democracy, values, north america, latin america

How Japan Could Truly Benefit From The 2020 Olympics

The Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games have ended. The opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is still more than six years away. As the Tokyo Organizing Committee is forming, this seems like an appropriate moment to think about Tokyo in terms of the recent Sochi experience.

Tags: 2020 summer olympics, nation branding, tourism, soft power, japan

Freedom Of Expression Is 'Birth Right,' Michelle Obama Tells Peking University Students

In a speech to Peking University students yesterday, US first lady Michelle Obama defended freedom of expression and other "universal rights" - sensitive concepts that mainland university professors were banned from teaching a year ago. The remarks - the closest the first lady has so far come to discussing politics during her China visit - came during an otherwise soft speech in which she encouraged students to study abroad and cited her own success as a testament to hard work.

Tags: china, exchange diplomacy, free speech, max baucus, michelle obama, peking university, soft power, united states, universal rights, values

America's Hip-Hop Foreign Policy

For several years now, American and German officials have struggled with how best to respond to Deso Dogg. The Ghanaian-German artist, whose legal name is Denis Cuspert, gained popularity during the mid-2000s as a pioneer in Germany’s gangsta-rap scene, performing with DMX and recording tracks like “Gangxtaboggy,” “Daz Iz Ein Drive By,” and “Meine Ambition Als Ridah.”

Tags: american music abroad, hip hop, hip hop diplomacy, jazz diplomacy, music diplomacy, united states

'Culture Creation' Often Easier Than It Looks

For all the official rhetoric about the need for Kansai’s prefectures to set themselves apart from each other, let alone from the rest of the country, the local bureaucracies too often have a herd mentality when it comes to planning and promoting tourism campaigns.

Tags: asia pacific, bunkazukuri, Cultural Diplomacy, japan, kansai, nation branding, tourism

With Venezuela In A Tailspin, Jews Opting For 'Plan B'

They left after Venezuelan secret police raided a Jewish club in 2007, and after the local synagogue was ransacked by unidentified thugs two years later. They left after President Hugo Chavez expelled Israel's ambassador to Caracas, and when he called on Venezuela's Jews to condemn Israel for its actions in Gaza in 2009.

Tags: anti-government, conflict, diaspora, israel, judaism, nicolas maduro, protest, venezuela

Erdogan Tells Critics: 'I'm Not Listening'

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters on Sunday, dismissing accusations of intolerance by western and domestic critics. "I don't care who it is. I'm not listening," he said to cheers. 

Tags: ak party, corruption, elections, facebook, fethullah gulen, recep tayyip erdogan, social media, turkey, twitter, youtube

Stephen Harper Calls For Russia To Be Booted From G8 As U.S. Warns Putin Likely Prepping For Invasion

Stephen Harper called for a “complete reversal” of President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and suggested Russia should be booted out of the Group of Eight nations when he visited Ukraine. 

Tags: canada, g7, g8, russia, stephen harper, summitry, trade diplomacy, ukraine, united states, vladimir putin

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