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.

Russians Say: Thanks For Crimea, Putin

Scepticism is growing online after Russian President Vladimir Putin inked a treaty to make Ukraine's Crimea region part of Russia. "In our hearts we know Crimea has always been an inalienable part of Russia," Putin said in a speech to parliament Tuesday. 

Tags: crimea, digital diplomacy, public opinion, russia, social media, twitter, ukraine, vladimir putin

America Is Too Broke to Rescue Ukraine

If only America were fighting more wars, Russia would never have taken Crimea. That’s basically the argument John McCain made last Friday in The New York Times. “For five years,” he complained, “Americans have been told that ‘the tide of war is receding’.… In Afghanistan and Iraq, military decisions have appeared driven more by a desire to withdraw than to succeed.”

Tags: barack obama, crimea, foreign policy, hard power, john mccain, military diplomacy, russia, soft power, ukraine, united states

Why Putin Wants Us To Believe He's Crazy

The outcome of the crisis in Ukraine depends to an unusual extent on the intentions of one man: Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the last few weeks, since the collapse of Viktor Yanukovych’s Russia-friendly regime and Moscow’s precipitous invasion of Crimea, analysts have been obsessed with trying to get inside the Russian leader’s mind.

Tags: crimea, europe, image, russia, soft power, ukraine, vladimir putin

Hip-Hop Propaganda: How The U.S. Enlists Rap Music To Fight 'Jihadi Cool'

One of the odder phenomena of the last decade is hearing national security elites, terrorism experts, and career diplomats discuss the finer points of “flow,” “bling,” and the “politics of cool.” American and European terrorism experts have increasingly expressed concerns over “anti-American hip-hop,” accenting the radicalizing influence of the genre.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, hip hop, hip hop diplomacy, islam, jihad, music diplomacy, terrorism

Hanging Out At A Moscow Peace Protest

If you thought all Russians were bloodthirsty lunatics hellbent on starting World War III, you would be wrong. On Saturday, tens of thousands of liberal Muscovites lined up to pass through metal detectors and march down a route lined with police and barriers in an effort to convince Putin to give peace a chance.

Tags: alexei navalny, crimea, europe, media, peace, protest, russia, ukraine

In Thailand, There's No Jon Stewart - Just 'Shallow News In Depth'

In Thailand, protesters are calling for the prime minister's resignation and street rallies have turned deadly. So how do journalists cover the anti-government protests, without running afoul of the government? Try Shallow News in Depth — an online parody newscast. The show uses sarcasm and slapstick comedy to comment on the current political situation. And while that may be old hat to American fans of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, it is unusual for Thailand.

Tags: comedy, jon stewart, journalism, parody, protest, shallow news in depth, thailand, the daily show with jon stewart

Crimea Referendum: Tough Talk Likely Only Response To Putin's Coup

Forget comparisons with 1914, or to Munich in 1938. Forget the war that tore Yugoslavia apart in the 1990s and remember, instead, Schleswig-Holstein. A century and a half ago, it was the Crimea of its day,  a piece of disputed territory that caused international turmoil and confusion.     

Tags: annexation, conflict, crimea, election, history, protest, russia, soviet union, ukraine, vladimir putin

'Sincere Steps' Needed For Seoul-Tokyo Meet

South Korea is open to a summit with Tokyo but demands Japan first take sincere steps on historical issues to create the right conditions for talks to produce substantial results, a spokesman for South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday.

Tags: comfort women, diplomacy, foreign policy, history, japan, military diplomacy, park geun-hye, public opinion, shinzo abe, south korea

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