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.
Middle East's Most Powerful Army Chasing 18 Cows
Palestine's 2015 Oscar entry, the Wanted 18, tells a tragically absurd story of how a herd of cows are hunted down by Israeli authorities, who did not look fondly on the community's attempts to be self-sufficient. Through archival footage, re-enactments and claymation, film-makers Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan use dark humour to tell this lesser-known tale of a farm gone rogue...
Time to Talk about Toilets
According to the United Nations, a child dies every 20 seconds because of poor sanitation. They are dying from diseases linked to inadequate facilities, unhygienic living conditions and a lack of clean water supplies. It is with all this in mind that this Thursday, World Toilet Day, the spotlight is being pointed at the link between sanitation and nutrition, in an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of toilets...
Why ISIS Is Waging a Pop Culture War
So ISIS takes pop culture, or soft power, very very seriously indeed, even if we don't. The attacks on Paris demonstrate their cultural focus most of all. They attacked restaurants, theaters, and sports events rather than military or political targets […] The forces that will defeat ISIS aren't the army, the navy, and the air force; they're Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They have to involve themselves in the war.
Homeland Hacker Challenges Media Portrayals of Muslims
When the German publisher Don Stone approached Heba Amin to paint Arabic graffiti on the set of Showtime's series Homeland, her initial impulse was to decline, as others had before her […] [Instead, she] painted statements such as "Homeland is racist" on the set and then put out an artists' statement. The story went viral and has been covered by more than 60 media outlets in numerous languages.
Facebook Activates ‘Safety Check’ for Tuesday’s Bomb Blast in Nigeria
After a bomb blast Tuesday evening in Yola, Nigeria, took the lives of at least 31 people, Facebook announced the activation of its Safety Check feature, a button that enables people in disaster areas to let their friends and family know they’re out of harm’s way. Zuckerberg made the announcement on his Facebook page. “... we made the decision to use Safety Check for more tragic events like this going forward..."
Anonymous vs. ISIS: Netpolitik After the Paris Attacks
There is one reaction that so exemplifies the current state of the networked world that it warrants closer analysis. That is the filmed declaration of Anonymous to take down ISIS. It is the epitome of the theory of Netpolitik, which Leshuo Dong and I wrote about earlier this year.
Art Fights Radicalization, Boosts Diplomacy and Creates Jobs
Art can help to steer impressionable young people away from religious radicalization, says the director of the Canada Council for the Arts. Simon Brault also says that a new government on Parliament Hill understands that Canada must restore the art and cultural arm of its international diplomacy, if it wants to have meaningful relationships with other nations.
The Limits of Soft Power in the South China Sea
A year and a half since China began rapidly building and militarizing artificial islands in the contested, resource-rich waters of the South China Sea, the states most threatened by Chinese expansion are looking for ways to push back more forcefully.
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