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.

Female Fight Club

Topless demonstrators in Ukraine are part of the self-defined “sextremist” Femen group – radical women protesting the Russian invasion of Crimea. Femen is a stark example of frontline femmes who use their bodies and their voices to fight status quo corruption, war and a political oligarchy.

Tags: femen, feminism, gender, maidan, pakistan, protest, pussy riot, russia, ukraine

Q&A: Radio Free Europe's Ukrainian Director

For journalists in Ukraine, safety has become a leading concern. Radio Svoboda, the Ukrainian branch of Radio Free Europe, had been covering the protests (in Ukrainian) since they started in November.

Tags: broadcasting board of governors, international broadcasting, journalism, media, radio free europe, radio liberty, radio svoboda, ukraine

U.S. Bashes Russia Over Drastic Media Curbs

As tensions spiral between Russia and the West over the crisis in Ukraine, the Obama administration is denouncing Moscow's imposition of new restrictions on independent Russian media. The State Department on Friday said it was "deeply troubled" by dramatic new curbs on press freedom that it said make it easier for the government to spread "patently false" information.

Tags: censorship, media, press freedom, russia, ukraine, united states

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Calls Kerry 'Murderer'

Venezuela's foreign minister lambasted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday as a "murderer" fomenting unrest that has killed 28 people in the South American OPEC member nation.

Tags: conflict, elias jaua, john kerry, nicolas maduro, protest, union of south american nations, united states, venezuela

Poll: Russia Joins Americans' Axis Of Evil

Roughly seven in 10 Americans view Russia as a threat to the United States, a new poll released Friday shows, the highest percentage since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Sixty-nine percent say Russia presents a "very" or "moderately" serious threat to America -- up 25 percentage points since April 2012, according to the CNN/ORC International poll.

Tags: axis of evil, crimea, history, public opinion, russia, soviet union, ukraine, united states

Merkel's Tough Stance Toward Russia Threatens Trade War

Chancellor Angela Merkel has issued an ultimatum to Russia over what she called its annexation of Crimea: Back down or face strong measures from the European Union. Accusing Moscow of acting by the “law of the jungle” in an address to parliament on Thursday, Merkel said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions are a clear breach of international law and threatened full-fledged economic sanctions.

Tags: angela merkel, europe, european union, foreign policy, germany, russia, trade diplomacy, ukraine, vladimir putin

Catherine Ashton’s Delicate Balancing Act in Tehran

In less than a week, representatives from Iran and the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, the U.S. plus Germany) will convene in Vienna to discuss ways for Iran to give verifiable guarantees of the solely peaceful nature of its nuclear program.

Tags: catherine ashton, europe, european union, hassan rouhani, iran, nuclear, p5+1, public opinion

Malaysia Flight: How The US Navy Is Helping

The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has drawn nearly every navy with a presence in Southeast Asia to aid in the search effort. The United States easily has the biggest and best equipped navy in the Pacific and was fast to participate after the flight carrying 239 passengers and crew vanished from radar on Saturday.

Tags: aid diplomacy, hard power, malaysia, malaysia airlines, military diplomacy, southeast asia, u.s. navy, united states, vietnam

Pages

Stay in the Know

Public Diplomacy is a dynamic field, and CPD is committed to keeping you connected and informed about the critical developments that are shaping PD around the world. 

Depending on your specific interests, you can subscribe to one or more of CPD's newsletters >.

Visit CPD's Online Library

Explore CPD's vast online database featuring the latest books, articles, speeches and information on international organizations dedicated to public diplomacy.