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.
The Bourgeois Revolution
For years, political theorists have argued that developing a healthy middle class is the key to any country's democratization. To paraphrase the late political scientist Samuel Huntington: Economic growth and industrialization usually lead to the creation of a middle class...But over the past decade, the antidemocratic behavior of the middle class in many countries has threatened to undermine this conventional wisdom.
Top U.S. Military Official ‘Alarmed’ Over Pakistan
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is "very alarmed by the growing extremist threat in Pakistan and remains frustrated particularly by the political leadership's inability to confront that threat," his spokesman said Monday. Mullen has made two visits to Pakistan in less than three weeks and is "deeply alarmed by what he has found," his spokesman, Capt. John Kirby, told CNN. "It is a very precarious security situation."
How the Media Misinterpreted the Summit of the Americas
Everyone twisted themselves into contortions interpreting the handshake between Presidents Obama and Chávez’ stage-stealing handing of the book to President Obama...But here’s the real story. Out of the public spotlight or the media’s scandal-mongering eye, there were moments of real significance.
Mexico Tourism Braces for Swine Flu Slowdown
Europeans today were told to avoid travel to Mexico unless essential. The biggest tour operators in Germany and Japan canceled all trips to Mexico. Asian countries with memories of the 2003 SARS scare banned Mexican pork imports. And several US and Mexican airlines have waived fees for passengers wanting to change their travel dates – as concerns of a swine flu pandemic, with its epicenter in Mexico, grow.
The Hillary Clinton Impact on Turkish-American Relations
There is a new environment that Washington and Ankara may base their relations on dynamic, common interests rather than reified common values and norms. Washington should interpret Turkey’s growing regional profile in the Greater Middle East as being in its interests, rather than as a sign of Turkey’s estrangement from the West or an aspiration to resurrect the Ottoman Empire.
US Change of Rhetoric on Climate Welcomed at Washington Talks
Europeans hope that a change of tone on climate change by the US will break the deadlock over climate negotiations...The US has pledged to make up for lost time in the fight against climate change. At the opening of a conference in Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told diplomats from the world's 16 largest economies that her country was now ready to lead the fight against global climate change.
Venezuela Recalls Envoy in Peru
Venezuela has withdrawn its ambassador to Lima in response to Peru's decision to grant political asylum to an opponent of President Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan foreign ministry said Peru's decision to grant Manuel Rosales asylum constituted a "mockery of international law".
Plot Foiled? In Bolivia, Truth Is Elusive
Wielding assault rifles, the members of Delta Group, an elite Bolivian police unit, quietly crept up the stairs to the fourth floor of the Hotel Las Américas...Within minutes, they shot dead three men: Michael Dwyer, 24, of Ireland; Arpad Magyarosi, 39, a Romanian of Hungarian descent; and Eduardo Rozsa Flores, 49, a Bolivian with Hungarian and Croatian passports and a nebulous past as a leader of foreigners fighting for Croatia during the breakup of Yugoslavia.
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