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.
Air Force General Hits Back Over ‘Soft Power”
The Air Force doesn't just drop bombs. The service does all kinds of "soft power" missions, too -- training doctors, strengthening local economies, and building America's image abroad. That's the reaction I got from a bunch of Air Force types, after a recent post, suggesting that "hard power" was topic #1, when the service discussed its contribution to fighting insurgencies.
Europe Makes New Threat to Russia and Ukraine on Gas Supplies
Germany, the European country with the closest ties to the Kremlin, warned Russia on Friday to abide by its contractual relations, saying its reputation as a reliable supplier of gas could no longer be taken for granted as a result of the two-week long gas dispute between Ukraine and Russia which has left millions of homes without heat.
Music Diplomacy
Public diplomacy has become something of a buzzword in foreign policy circles. But to lighten things up at the end of the week, I'm launching a new blog feature called Music Diplomacy. Each week I'll post a song that has something to do with foreign affairs or foreign policy.
Religious Liberty in America: An Idea Worth Sharing Through Public Diplomacy
U.S. public diplomacy aims to impart to foreign audiences an understanding and appreciation of American ideals, principles, institutions, and policy. This means that U.S. public diplomacy must be firmly grounded in those principles and ideals, including those concerning religion. Today, however, the religious roots of the American order and the role of religion in its continued success are poorly understood.
A War of Words and Images
But the information prong of Israel’s Gaza offensive involves far more than the tight control of press access. Israel has fully utilised its expertise at hasbara, a Hebrew word meaning literally “explanation”, but referring more broadly to image promotion. Platoons of on-message spokesmen are available to foreign reporters in Israel at all hours of the night and day...The English-language sister channel of al-Jazeera, with two reporters in Gaza, has flourished in the absence of Western competitors, such as CNN. Its coverage has been graphic but sombre in tone.
The Future of American Cultural Diplomacy
Quincy Jones's welcome appeal for the creation of an American cultural tsar has fascinating implications for the world of public diplomacy. Jones himself has been a figure in American cultural diplomacy from his early days as the manager for the Dizzy Gillespie band tours of the Middle East and Latin America in the late 1950s to his own work as a powerful international voice of American cultural creativity. He well knows the way in which the arts can help transcend international barriers as well as domestic barriers of race, class and gender.
When A Federal Agency Goes Bad
In fact, millions of taxpayers’ dollars have been spent on these highly embarrassing videos, which are prominently featured on the State Department web site. A single VOA radio or television report about President Elect Barack Obama’s family background and foreign policy plans could not only help repair some of the damage done by these propaganda videos but would also have a long-term positive impact on how America will now be perceived abroad.
Obama ushers in new era of US ‘soft power’
The Obama foreign policy team that has emerged is focused on know-how and experience - often gained during the Clinton era. Many of the appointments have a clear focus on the Islamic world. Former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who brokered a peace deal in the Balkans, will be appointed a special adviser to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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