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.
Strengthening the Visa Waiver Program
The VWP is not only a major public diplomacy asset; it also adds to our security and enhances law enforcement and crime-fighting efforts through data-sharing agreements between member countries. Ensuring the continuation of the Visa Waiver Program will require a serious commitment from the new Administration. This commentary provides suggestions of specific changes that would strengthen the program.
Army Invades Second Life
Wired reporter Noah Shachtman recently blogged that the US Army will be opening up shop in the virtual world of Second Life over the next month...There's reason for hope that other parts of the US foreign and military apparatus are watching and learning. James Glassman, US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, made a stunning announcement at the New America Foundation on December 1, 2008 about the State Department's "Public Diplomacy 2.0" efforts.
The Case for a New Public Diplomacy
When President-elect Obama is sworn into office, he and his foreign policy team will face a China that is different in subtle but fundamental ways from the China that each of the four past U.S. presidents faced upon entering office. It is by now axiomatic that this has implications for the way companies do business in China. What has not been explored is its importance to diplomacy. Conventional diplomacy will form a part of the Obama administration's effort to enlist that support, as it should. But in the current environment in China and the world, it will not be enough.
Diplomats Defend U.S. Abroad
Earl Anthony Wayne and Frank E. Baxter, the ambassadors to Argentina and Uruguay respectively, detailed the ways they have used public diplomacy to improve relations between the United States and other countries. Wayne said that public diplomacy is the "top priority" for any ambassador.
The Diplomatic Marathon Runner
Slovakia has appeared on the map for South Koreans thanks to their ambitious investment plans here, while Slovaks have discovered South Korea since those plans began to be implemented in this part of Central Europe. Today, there is much more to the ties than just business interests, as South Korea’s first ambassador to Slovakia, Park Yong-Kyu, proves. He has done it all: opened an embassy, travelled across the country, learned about all things Slovak, and has even run Slovakia’s famous Košice Peace Marathon.
“Conversation, not Dictation”: Public Diplomacy 2.0
As Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, James Glassman has vamped up efforts to debate with jihadists on the internet. In fact, Glassman has completely retooled the federal government’s virtual presence, hoping to harness the power of web 2.0 interactive technology to fight a “war of ideas, ” a sort of public diplomacy 2.0.
Glassman Gives ‘Soft Power’ a Hard Edge
To fight terrorism of the kind that brutalized Mumbai, India, President-elect Barack Obama should retain James Glassman, the Bush administration's commander in the "war of ideas" against extremism. In just six months in office, Glassman has invigorated and modernized U.S. programs to not just improve America's image in the world, but confront radical ideologies, including on the Internet.
Holmes: Hard-liners embracing soft power
This article highlights the support of such "hard-liners" as Michael Chertoff, James Glassman, and Robert Gates for soft power. The military adventures and undiplomatic rhetoric of Bush's first term have overshadowed the shift in thinking in his second term. But there are successes worth building on. Obama's foreign policy is a change from the belligerence most of the world, associates with Bush.
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