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.
Public diplomacy
Before the dawn of the communications age, there was little demand for transparency in the conduct of international affairs and foreign policy. Citizens were generally excluded from the discussion of matters of state. They were informed after decisions were made, to be sure, but were rarely considered partners in the forging of international policies. In this age, however, it is difficult to continue conducting diplomacy in the traditional way.
Nicaragua is latest in Latin America to reject term limits
Modern Latin American history books have thick chapters on dictators and strongmen (caudillos) who pillaged government coffers, ruled for their own gain, and ruthlessly stamped out all opposition. When countries moved away from military dictatorship in the 1980s, new constitutions included articles to ban reelection and ensure that such leaders never again returned to power. But now, the caudillo may be making a comeback.
Q&A: President Obama Responds to Cuban Blogger
As his administration aims to move thaw U.S.-Cuban relations, President Barack Obama took some time to respond to questions posed to him by a young Cuban blogger. Yoani Sanchez , whose blog 'Generation Y' is distributed through the website 'DesdeCuba.com', (From Cuba.com), explains that she wanted to ask the U.S. president about issues that keep her up at night. Thursday she posted the answers she received from Mr. Obama. Keep reading to see his responses.
White House nominates a new slate to the Broadcasting Board of Governors
Yesterday, the White House announced a whole new slate for the Broadcasting Board of Governors...Change is good, but more change is needed: the Chairman must become a full-time position in order to fully support and champion the needs of US Government broadcasting. Let's hope the nominees are confirmed quickly.
Obama taps former Bush aide to key government post
President Barack Obama has tapped a former top aide of his predecessor George W. Bush to a key post on a board overseeing government-sponsored international broadcasting. She currently serves as chief issues counselor for the United States at international public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and as a contributor to the Fox News Channel.
Scholar urges Taiwan’s co-sponsorship of Confucius Institutes
Taking advantage of the Confucius Institutes platform, Taiwan could join hands with China in tapping into the global Chinese-language cultural market while at the same time exercising its influence on the mainland. The seminar on the Taiwanese culture's influence on cross-straits relations, was sponsored by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), a semi-official body commissioned by the government to handle exchanges with China in the absence of formal contacts.
What Obama Accomplished in Asia
Has a president ever been less successful on a trip overseas than President Obama has on his eight-day excursion to Asia? I've been covering presidents since Gerald Ford and I can't think of one. Obama struck out on his entire agenda in China and he acquiesced as the Chinese subjected him to the humiliation of a choreographed town hall meeting with student members of the Young Communist League. And he suffered through a 30-minute news conference with Chinese President Hu Jintao in which no questions from the media were allowed.
Obama’s Beijing balancing act points to the new challenge for the west
Yet beyond the hard power relations, there is an almost philosophical question about how we in the west engage with China. There are, it seems to me, two basic approaches we could adopt. As he swayed on his tightrope, the end of Obama's balancing pole pointed sometimes to one, sometimes to the other. The first approach, which China's rulers like, is to say this: you have your traditions, your civilisation, your culture, your values; and we have ours. In a world of very diverse sovereign great powers, the only basis for international order is mutual respect.
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