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.
How to Win the War of Ideas
Many of the strongest supporters of ideological engagement can be found in the Department of Defense, starting with Secretary Robert Gates, who reminded senators earlier this year that the Cold War was "as much a war of ideas as it was of military power." Throughout the government and the private sector, the war of ideas is in early renaissance. The enthusiasm is bipartisan, and we have the opportunity to leave a robust legacy for the next administration.
Struggling Against al-Qaeda on the Airwaves
Post foreign correspondent Craig Whitlock, was online Tuesday, June 24, to discuss his articles about how the U.S. is losing its battle with al-Qaeda for hearts and minds in the Middle East. The transcript follows.
Muslim Women Speak With Representative Gene Ward In Azerbaijan
This first-ever high level conference on "Expanding the Role of Women in Cross-Cultural Dialogue" was sponsored by Azerbaijan's Heydar Aliyeh Foundation...As tensions increase between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, the world is looking for good news between Muslim and non-Muslim countries and there are many reasons to find it in Azerbaijan.
Turkish flair at Euro 2008
The armies of the Ottoman Empire could not conquer Vienna. Eleven soccer players from Turkey can. That's the way many Turks feel, a heady, near-mystical sense that Turkey's underdog run to the European Championship semifinals involves more than goal scoring..."There is an unwritten condition here in this country, the desire to show to the world what the Turks can do as a soft power," said Huseyin Bagci, a Turkish academic.
On the move to tell the EU story
The European Union’s new representative in Turkey is constantly on the move to explain to ordinary Turks how their lives are being changed by the membership process... Pierini seems to be conscious of the importance of public diplomacy. The fact that he worked in countries like Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, countries with predominantly Muslim populations certainly contributed to his understanding of different cultures.
NATO Office Opens in Baku
A NATO office has been opened in Baku. "The office will enable Azerbaijani students to learn more about relationships between Azerbaijan and NATO. Moreover, they will be able to add to their diplomatic knowledge,” Jean-Francois Bureau, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, said at the opening ceremony on 24 June.
Beijing orders tighter media controls
China’s ruling Communist party has ordered a strengthening of its news media propaganda system, dashing hopes of a more liberal approach to censorship in the wake of relatively vigorous domestic reporting of the Sichuan earthquake.
How to Win the War of Ideas
We do that by helping to build networks (virtual and physical) and countermovements – not just political but cultural, social, athletic and more: mothers against violence, video gamers, soccer enthusiasts, young entrepreneurs, Islamic democrats. For example, there is an emerging global network of families of Islamic victims of terrorist attacks. While winning hearts and minds would be an admirable feat, the war of ideas needs to adopt the more immediate and realistic goal of diverting impressionable segments of the population from being recruited into violent extremism.
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