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.
Cultural Exchanges at Milan Expo Exemplify Importance of "Community of Common Destiny"
Themed "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", Expo Milano 2015 focuses on food and agriculture, with exhibitors presenting their respective food cultures while exemplifying the crucial role of building a "community of common destiny" for food security. Peking duck, Argentinian wine, Japanese sushi, Spanish ham... All the characteristic specialties represent the culinary culture of different nations. Food differs, but cuisines have something in common.
Importance of Cultural Exchange With Russia During Political Frost
Even during the height of the Cold War with its threat of Nuclear Armageddon, the cultural exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union never ground to a halt. But in the last few years, because of the "boomerang effect of a rancorous legal battle between the Russian government and the Chassidic Jewish group, Chabad" (LA Times 1/17/13), Russia imposed a ban on all art loans to American museums. This legal case is based on Chabad's decades-long effort to recover religious books and manuscripts that the Russians expropriated after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
With U.S. as a Model, China Envisions Network of National Parks
BEIJING — More than 140 years ago, the United States government designated Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park — an untouched Western landscape of geysers, grizzly bears and soaring peaks. The national parks program eventually expanded to include more than 450 sites and has become one of the country’s greatest tourist draws.
The Commonwealth, Soft-Power and Extremism - interview with UK Envoy David Concar
David Concar was in Malta visiting and viewing preparations for the upcoming CHOGM, mentioning that the Queen’s presence at the Heads of Government meeting emphasizes the importance of this CHOGM session.
Playing Hard Ball With Soft Power
The FBI agents who broke the International Football Federation scandal in late May by getting a bunch of foreigners arrested in Switzerland are naturally convinced that their sole purpose is to combat corruption. American ideologues who advocate “R2P” – the “right and responsibility to protect” – have no doubt that U.S. armed intervention is a suitable way to protect human rights. Air Force officers who bomb people in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Yemen take it for granted that they are eliminating terrorism.
New App Helps North Korean Defectors Bridge Language Divide
On the Korean peninsula, the tense boundary known as the demilitarized zone is not the only thing that separates the North and South. The war seven decades ago also created a division in how Koreans speak their language. And for many newly arrived North Korean defectors in the South, learning new words and expressions makes resettling even more challenging. A new smartphone app could help these refugees overcome the linguistic division.
Praise For Indian PM's Diplomacy, Then A Backlash For His Undiplomatic Remark
It's India's latest social media battle cry: #DespiteBeingAWoman erupted on Twitter today after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the phrase while talking about the female prime minister of Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina was Modi's host this weekend when the two countries ratified a historic boundary agreement, doing what nations rarely do, swapping territory to settle a four decades old boundary dispute.
At the Havana Biennial, the Art Is Politics ... and Vice Versa
Ever since President Obama’s historic announcement in early December 2014, calling for the restoration of diplomatic ties between Washington and Havana, eyes have turned toward Cuba, waiting to see what changes the new dynamic will bring to the island nation.
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