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.
Good Germans? Up to a Point…
It’s a multiple crisis and Germany’s answer is to be nice. During Greek protests, rioters painted toothbrush moustaches on posters of Merkel. Now migrants, passed on from Greece to Germany, arrive with photos of her as their patron saint. That’s brilliant PR, a triumph of soft power, and not enitirely cynical. There really are many Germans — Gutmenschen — who wish to give a helping hand.
Launching Ceremony of the Book "China-Africa 500" and the Chinese Bridge
On September 10, 2015, the launching ceremony of the book "CHINA-AFRICA 500: Facts About China, Africa and Relations Between the Two"and the Chinese Bridge ― Sino-African Friendship Knowledge Competition was held in Peking University. [...] This event is co-sponsored by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Peking University, China Public Diplomacy Association and the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban).
Chinese Group in Russia for Tibetan Culture Exchange
A Tibetan cultural exchange group is wrapping up a trip to Russia, arranged by the Chinese State Council. During their stay, the group met with the head of Russia's parliamentary committee for Public and Religious Organization, and scholars from institutes including the Russian Academy of Sciences and Tuvan State University.
Exchange Students Working Summer Jobs in North Platte 'Get to See What the Real America is all About'
While changing sheets and scrubbing bathtubs, walking to Taco John’s, shopping at Walmart or taking trips to Omaha or Denver — even attending a rodeo — these grassroots ambassadors are experiencing slices of American culture and improving their English-language skills.
Fortune Cookie: Keep out the Food Taliban
Gastronomic diplomacy has its place in world history and it’s gratifying to see India and Pakistan engage in it with such passion. Prime Minister Modi did it at the Hannover Messe — exposing Germany to India’s soft power. And now, it is Pakistan’s turn to reach out to Indian hearts via the stomach. A happy stomach is the precursor of congenial diplomacy.
The Migration Crisis in the EU: Between 9/11 and Climate Change
To be sure, these problems are difficult to resolve. The issue of refugees and displaced peoples is one of the great tests of the international humanitarian ideals of the 21st century, and of the cosmopolitan aspirations of a Europe shaped by ambition to project its soft power and good governance across the world. However, when cosmopolitanism meets state interests under economic pressure, the former is often cast aside.
Yun: Seoul Uses Public Diplomacy to Counter Japan’s Rightward Shift
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Thursday that Seoul has capitalized on its public diplomacy to respond to the rightward political shift and revisionist views of history in Japan that have worsened anti-Japanese sentiment here.
The Rising Importance of Soft Power in Forging World Solidarity
Soft Power as opposed to Hard Power is not at all new to the developing world. The concept of Non-alignment, for example, is a manifestation of this species of power which, essentially, is an expression of a country’s or a group of countries’ humanistic values as opposed to their military or coercive capability. Accordingly, Soft Power has its origins in spirituality and religion and pertains to those qualities of heart and mind which play a key role in fostering world solidarity.
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