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.
Protests in Moldova Explode, With Help of Twitter
A crowd of more than 10,000 young Moldovans materialized seemingly out of nowhere on Tuesday to protest against Moldova’s Communist leadership, ransacking government buildings and clashing with the police. The sea of young people reflected the deep generation gap that has developed in Moldova, and the protesters used their generation’s tools, gathering the crowd by enlisting text-messaging, Facebook and Twitter, the social messaging network.
Italy and Russia Complete Flurry of Deals
The Italian energy company Eni sold a 20 percent stake in the Russian oil giant Gazprom Neft for $4.1 billion Tuesday in the largest of a dozen or so deals announced during a Russian-Italian business forum. The two countries have warm business ties, even as Russia’s trade relations with other European countries have soured. Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, was scheduled to attend the forum in Moscow but canceled to remain in Italy in the aftermath of an earthquake in the Abruzzo region.
Obama’s Ankara Visit Highlights Rapprochement Strategy Toward the Middle East
President Barack Obama's visit to Ankara was well received by the majority of Turkish people, apart from a minority in Ankara complaining about traffic jams due to enhanced security measures. Obama's visit to Turkey was a well planned public diplomacy event by U.S. policy planners. The day before his arrival in Turkey, at the EU Summit in Prague, he called on EU leaders to accept Turkey into membership. It was a clear message to both the EU and a Turkish public that had not proven sympathetic towards American policy in recent years.
He Came, He Spoke, and Not Much Changed
I don't disagree with Steve Walt's read of Obama's Ankara speech (see Marc Lynch as well), or other hosannahs being heaped on Obama for his European tour. Barack Obama acquitted himself well in London, Strasbourg, Prague and Ankara. U.S. soft power would appear to be in a better place than it was, say, a year ago.
Obama Scores Again, But the Game is Just Starting
Obama's speech in Turkey's Parliament has gotten heavy coverage and rave reviews across the Arab political spectrum. Even influential newspapers and personalities who are usually quite critical of American foreign policy have expressed frank admiration. Despite the disarray in the public diplomacy bureaucracy (where there is still no nominee for the Under-Secretary of State), I would say that Obama has already succeeded at the initial public diplomacy phase of his effort to transform America's relations with the Muslim world.
Missing Soluch, A Chance to Introduce Dutch to Persian Culture
The Dutch translation of “Missing Soluch” is a great opportunity for the Dutch to be introduced to Persian culture, ambassador of the Netherlands to Tehran Radinck J. van Vollenhoven said during a ceremony on Sunday. The Dutch version of Mahmud Dowlatabadi’s “Missing Soluch” was unveiled during a ceremony in Tehran on Sunday.
Obama turns to public diplomacy in Istanbul
Pledging respect for Islam, US President Barack Obama turned to public diplomacy Tuesday, meeting religious leaders and students and touring ancient monuments in Istanbul on the second day of his first visit to a mainly Muslim nation.
Western Nations Are Cool to Cold War Adversaries, Poll Finds
As NATO celebrates its 60th anniversary, people in its largest member nations still hold enmity toward the leaders of their adversaries from the Cold War, a new poll shows. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive for the International Herald Tribune and France 24, shows that Fidel Castro, former president of Cuba, is the most disliked among the world leaders who were listed by respondents from the United States and five Western European nations.
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